A Year Of Doubt
by ambontoast
Summary: Season 3 Chuck/Blair style! Other characters included. Written with SPOILERS for season 3 taken into account. "It amazed Blair how even when at opposite ends of the world, Chuck's outfit still complimented hers perfectly."
1. 3x01: My Life In Reverse

**Summary: Chuck and Blair try and cope with their new relationship. I've encorporated some storylines which I hope to see in season 3.**

**Basically, I got this idea after reading the Nate/Serena fic _Living In Your Afterglow, _and decided to do a similarly structured story but with Chair :-)**

**I will include Nate (as much as he annoys me), and Serena (but i have something up my sleeve for her), maybe Carter, definitely Georgina, maybe Dan but probably no Vanessa.**

**Anyway, Enjoy. (Oh and I promise to update _Remembering Friday_ very soon!)**

3x01 – My Life in Reverse

"Why don't you let me buy you a drink?" Chuck asked smarmily as he walked over to the bar, addressing a generic blonde model. Chuck didn't know what came over him- maybe it was the scotch or maybe it was the fact that Blair was still in Milan with her Mother, _without him, _might he add. Surely now he was her _boyfriend _(he still got a little grossed out by the term, but he was willing to accept it for Blair), he'd get to go to Milan too?

But no, Lily had agreed to hand Bass Industries over to him when he was 18, and Chuck had turned 18 about a month ago. It had been a grand yet sophisticated affair, with all of his friends there (except Serena, who was still MIA), and many member's of the company's board had been in attendance too. So when Chuck and Blair snuck upstairs during the party to handle some _business, _it wasn't surprising that a member of the board had been the one to catch them in the act. It was safe to say Blair was more than a little embarrassed, and the board member looked a little disappointed. So Chuck decided to take his business very carefully from then on; the company meant a lot to him, it was the only thing left from his father _except for the engagement ring._

Chuck now sat himself down on the barstool next to the blonde. He was in the Palace Bar, and although he didn't live with the van der Woodsen's anymore – the Humphrey's had moved in – he was back in his suite, and didn't feel like drinking alone tonight. The blonde was a typical model, pretty much the opposite of Blair.

"Sure, but you have to tell me your name first!" The blonde looked at Chuck and giggled. Her eyes widened at his appearance; he and Blair had finally been to Tuscany this summer, so his usual pale skin was slightly tanned and his normally severely slicked back hair was a little looser, due to Blair's complaining that when she ran her fingers through it she got product all over her fingers.

Chuck smirked at the blonde's response, _even though I'm a kept man, I've still got it,_ he thought.

"I'm Chuck Bass"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair Waldorf was sat on a plane from Milan to JFK airport. Luckily she was in first class, so she wouldn't have to put with all the annoying _commoners _who snored loudly and who talked to her as if she was one of them. Blair was most certainly not a _commoner. _She hated flying though, and without Chuck there to calm her nerves by making lewd comments in her ear, she had to grip the armrest to keep herself from going insane.

She hadn't planned to come home this early, in fact she wasn't meant to be coming home for another 5 days (that way she would have 2 weeks to relax in the city before she started ugh, _NYU). _However, she wanted to surprise Chuck. She didn't think she'd miss him so much, after all she'd only been away from him for a week, but she was aching for him.

When the plane finally touched down at JFK, Blair was brimming with excitement. She told her driver to go straight to the Palace Hotel – she didn't want to waste time changing when she could be with Chuck. She checked her appearance and her eyes _did _look tired, but luckily it was nothing a bit of concealer could fix.

It was 9pm when Blair finally reached the palace hotel, and she decided to have her belongings brought up to Chuck's suite with her. She didn't know how long she'd be staying there but she'd definitely be staying the night – her mother and Cyrus didn't even know she was returning.

Someone else who didn't know she was returning, _or indeed known anything Blair had done this summer apart from getting together with Chuck, _was Serena. Serena hadn't really told Blair - or anyone else for that matter – where she was going, and all Blair knew was that she'd gone to Fiji with Carter Baizen. The day she left Serena had called her from the airport telling her to have a good summer and not to worry about her, although of course Blair would. Serena was with Carter Baizen, for goodness sake. Who knew what he would do to her?

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck didn't know what made him bring the blonde up to his suite, as the only girl who'd been in the suite all summer _and pretty much all year, _was Blair. Chuck didn't even feel an attraction to this girl, even though she was doing her best to flirt with him. The ride in the elevator up to his suite hadn't been heated like it usually was with Blair, there were no passionate kisses or passionate arguments shared between Chuck and the blonde, just awkward silence as Chuck contemplated what he was about to do and the blonde idly examined her nails.

Chuck told the blonde to sit down in his living area and that he'd get them a drink. Instead of heading to his bar though, he went to the large bathroom he had. He turned on the light and winced at the sight of himself in the mirror. He was angry at himself for doing this. Blair had only been gone a week and he was already turning into the _old _Chuck Bass. The womanising, _have sex with every girl _Chuck Bass. He felt sick, and he realised _he didn't like it. _He knew he'd been changing ever since he fell in love with Blair. Sure, his character was the same, still as witty as ever, but he didn't _want _to sleep with every girl he met, he just wanted to be with Blair.

So he decided he was going to tell the blonde to leave. However, when he reached the living area, he found more than one girl occupying the room.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair had expected Chuck to be sat at his desk doing some late night work for the company or lounging on the sofa catching up on some TV, or even hanging out with Nate (the two were almost back to normal now).

What Blair had _not _expected, was for Chuck to be nowhere to be seen, and for a tacky looking _fake _blonde haired model to be sat in the chair in which she herself usually sat. Blair quietly shut the door behind her, and the girl turned her head to look at Blair, a scared look forming on her face as she took in Blair's angry expression.

"And just _who _are you?" Blair asked, sounding every inch the evil bitch she was. The girl visibly shook as Blair began stalking over to her. Who was she to know the guy had a girlfriend? He had never mentioned it.

"I.. I..." but the blonde _who was still unnamed _never got to finish her sentence, as it was at that precise moment that Chuck emerged from the bathroom, about to tell her to leave.

"Blair?" Chuck half asked, half greeted, a genuine smile forming on his face as he realised she was really here. But then he noticed that the blonde was still sitting on the chair, looking scared. Blair had 'caught' him, although he hadn't actually done anything with the girl. Chuck knew Blair wouldn't believe him though. He was _Chuck Bass. _He had a bad reputation and he knew it.

It was at this moment he realised how much he hated the old him

"You" Blair pointed her perfectly manicured finger at the blonde. "Get out." She stated it so bluntly it was as though she was an army leader, and the girl didn't even bother to object. She got up and practically ran out of the room, not glancing at either Chuck or Blair as she made her exit.

Chuck and Blair stood in his suite in silence, Chuck looking at the ground so he wouldn't have to look Blair in the eye. He didn't want to see the hurt in her eyes, the hurt he'd seen so many times before when he'd caused her so much heartache. He only wanted her to be happy around him, in fact he wanted her to be happy all the time. It made his stomach churn knowing how he'd hurt her. He didn't even know why he'd brought the stupid blonde back to his suite. She was nothing compared to Blair. _Old Habits die Hard, I guess._

"Blair" Chuck whispered, and he finally lifted his head so he could take in her expression. He could tell she was sad, but of course this expression was covered by her cool exterior, that told everyone but him she was just angry. Chuck could see through this though, he knew she was just trying to fool him into thinking he hadn't hurt her.

"Your lips aren't swollen" Blair noted, as she took in his appearance. He was wearing a black suit with a dark green tie, which matched the green dress she was wearing. She found it hard to believe that even when at opposite ends of the world, they were still so in sync with eachother.

"Yes?" Chuck replied, confused as to what Blair was getting at.

"You didn't kiss her?" Blair asked, also confused. When she had seen the blonde girl in Chuck's suite she had assumed that Chuck had cheated on her, assumed that he'd gone back to his old ways.

"No, and I wasn't planning on kissing her either" he stated, beginning to walk over to Blair.

She took a step back however, still not feeling entirely comfortable with this whole situation. He'd obviously invited the girl up to his suite, _the suite only she was meant to go in,_ and he'd probably flirted with this girl to coax her into coming up here with him. Blair felt an all too familiar sick feeling in her stomach.

"Its fine Chuck, I don't need an explanation I just need to think." Blair said sadly, as she turned away from Chuck and began to open the door. She had some things to figure out. Did she trust him? _Could _she trust him? Sure nothing had happened between him and the girl, but could she believe what he was saying?

It's times like this where she wished Serena was here.

"Blair, don't go, please..." Chuck pleaded. Chuck Bass never pleaded to anyone else except Blair. He knew though. He knew that she wouldn't stay, he could see in her eyes that she needed to think about everything because she was confused and _sad, _so when she didn't reply to his plea – instead walking out of the door, shutting it behind her – Chuck didn't go after her. He returned to his bar and poured himself another glass of Scotch.

She needed time, and he was going to give it her.

**Up Next: Blair encounters an old _problem, _Chuck goes from anti-hero to BE MY HERO, and Nate has a sports car? Too bad they can't get in touch with Serena...**


	2. 3x02: The Greatest Denier

**A/N: Wooo I managed to update this quite quickly, I'm surprised. Thank you so much for your reviews everyone! They mean so much to me :) Anyway, I hope this chapter is okay and it's sort of in character, it was kinda hard to write. Sorry it's kinda short too, but I thought it would be best to leave it where I've left it. I will update soon. :D**

3x02 – The Greatest Denier

It turns out Blair didn't need as much time as Chuck thought. By the time Blair had reached her home, she had thoroughly gone over the situation and realised that Chuck hadn't actually done anything with the blonde; it wasn't like last time when he'd _slept _with the interior designer instead of being on a plane to Tuscany. He loved Blair. She knew he did. He told her quite often, when he was proud of her or when they made love. Blair certainly loved him, too. She'd missed him more than she thought she would when she was in France, and now she was back, she wasn't going to let a little situation with a tacky blonde get in the way. They were Blair and Chuck, after all.

However, she wasn't going to let him think he'd won by going back to his suite straight away. She'd make him suffer, make him pay for it. Even though she wasn't that angry at him anymore, she wasn't going to run back to him like a needy little girl.

Blair glanced at her clock. It said 9:45pm. It was definitely too early for Blair to go to sleep, but it was a little late to go out, too. Usually, if she was bored at this time – and she had no Chuck to entertain her - she would head over to the van der Woodsen residence, to have a late night chat with Serena. However, Serena wasn't there. Blair didn't know where Serena was. She _could _be in Fiji, like she said she would be, but you never knew with Carter Baizen. Blair had tried to call Serena a few times over the summer; even though she had Chuck she still needed her best friend to talk to. But Serena had never answered the phone, so Blair left the same voicemail message every time.

"_**Hey S, it's me, B. Please just call me back, I'm worried about you, where are you?... Please" **_

But Serena never called back. Never. Now, Blair debated whether she should call Serena, she wanted to tell her about her trip to Milan, and about what had happened with Chuck, but she knew that she'd just end up leaving that voicemail again.

Defeated, Blair decided she should at least _try_ and get some sleep. After all, she had been flying today.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck wasn't surprised when it got to morning and Blair hadn't returned to his suite. He thought she was still angry at him, even though she wasn't. Chuck didn't really know how to apologise, he'd tried before to apologise with a bouquet of Blair's favourite flowers, but all that got him was his peonies thrown back in his face and the elevator doors closing in on him. Blair meant more than a few flowers, but Chuck didn't quite know how to get the words out.

He decided to visit the Archibald residence for some advice.

Nate Archibald returned from his backpacking trip with Vanessa a fortnight earlier than planned. He'd thought that he was making a good decision by going with her as a friend, but when she'd tried to seduce him in a little hut in Germany he'd seen the error of his ways. He'd lead her on by accident, so he decided to leave and spend the rest of the summer interning in the mayor's office, as he had originally planned to do.

When Chuck pulled up outside Nate's house, he was a little confused to find Nate already outside, holding a folded piece of card. As Chuck approached him, he noticed that the card had the family logo printed on it, and Chuck was shocked. He knew Nate had returned a while ago, but he didn't know he was still on really good terms with his family, that they had all completely forgiven him for his disruptive speech at his cousin's wedding rehearsal.

"Hey man" Chuck said casually has he approached Nate. He was laughing inside at Nate's new hairstyle, the man-bangs were gone and Nate almost looked old.

"Chuck, hey" Nate replied, and though he turned to face Chuck, he still kept his eyes glued to the piece of card in his hands.

That's when Chuck noticed it. It was a thing of beauty, and for once it wasn't a girl. It was a stunning red that almost sparkled in the New York sunshine, and with the top down it looked classy and expensive. Chuck's mouth was almost watering as he stared at the beautiful car. How he wished he could drive.

"Um... nice Ferrari, Nate" Chuck stuttered, still shocked as to why Nate had one.

"Yeah it's um... from Grandfather. The note says every member of the family gets a car when they go to college" Nate mumbled.

"I never thought I'd say this man, but I kinda wish I was a member of your dysfunctional family right about now" Chuck joked, and Nate smiled.

"What can I do for you Chuck?" Nate asked, folding his arms and smiling.

Chuck paused. He hadn't asked Nate for advice on Blair _ever - _especially not since they'd gotten together over the summer. Blair and Nate had parted on good terms, their relationship being something they both 'had to get out of their system', but Chuck still didn't feel comfortable talking about Blair with Nate. After all, Chuck had let Nate have Blair, but still gone after her himself.

"It's about Blair" Chuck mumbled, looking down at the ground. He expected Nate to be awkward and not want to talk about her, but instead, he laughed.

"What did you do this time?" Nate chuckled.

"She found a girl in my suite..." Chuck said slowly. Nate was angered by this. He knew how much Blair loved Chuck, and he couldn't understand why Chuck would hurt Blair like this.

"You slept with someone else?!" Nate fumed. Chuck held his hands out in protest.

"No! Are you kidding me? I wouldn't do that to Blair. I didn't know what I was doing, I just invited her up!" Chuck was rambling.

"You expect Blair to believe that?" Nate laughed. No matter how much Blair trusted Chuck, he was still _Chuck Bass, _and had a bad reputation with women.

"No, I don't. I need to find a way to make her believe that she's the only one I want to sleep with. Hell, I don't think I _could _sleep with anyone else even if I wanted to!" Chuck nearly smirked.

"Chuck I... don't know how to help you. She probably feels a little unwanted right now." Nate said, turning to walk away. "I've gotta run now, I'm meeting Dan for some soccer"

Chuck was left stood on the sidewalk alone. However, Nate's words had actually given Chuck the answer. Nate said that Chuck had made Blair feel unwanted, so now he had to make her feel _wanted. _

He stepped back into his limo, and told the driver to go to the Waldorf penthouse.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was sat in her bedroom going through the living arrangements catalogue for NYU in the fall. Her mother had said she didn't want Blair living at home while she went to school; it was too far for Blair to travel every day. So, unfortunately for Blair, she had to live in a dorm. She was hoping her roommate would be quiet, tidy and not poor, but she knew that she'd hate the living situation no matter what. She sort of wish she could live with Chuck at the palace – she _would _be spending a lot of nights there – but it _was _a little early in their relationship for something like that.

Blair was about to call Chuck and ask him to come over to talk, but as she reached for her phone, Chuck appeared in the doorway of her room as if by magic.

"Dorota let me in" He mumbled, walking over to Blair. He assumed she was still mad at him so he was treading carefully.

"I'm not mad at you anymore, Chuck" Blair sighed, and abandoned the catalogue as she stood up to meet Chuck.

"You're not? Wow." Chuck looked relieved and he was about to lean in to kiss her, but she stopped him.

"That doesn't mean you get to kiss me yet" Blair said, an evil look gleaming in her eye. Chuck scowled, and then turned to sit on her bed. Blair began pacing her room.

"I can't just let this go." Blair stated, turning her head to look at Chuck. "But I don't want it to get in the way of us. We're Blair and Chuck; we've been through far worse than this." Blair laughed bitterly, memories of the past 2 years running through her mind.

Chuck just nodded his head. He too was remembering all the hard times he had been through with Blair over the past 2 years, and it still hurt to think about them.

"Just promise me it won't happen again" Blair smiled, hopefully. Chuck stood up and walked over to her, though he didn't touch her yet.

"I Promise" He said, and Blair kissed him. It'd been over a week since they'd kissed and she hadn't realised how much she'd missed his lips until now.

When they pulled back, Chuck was smirking.

"I knew you'd never be able to resist me" He stated, and Blair was about to reply with a witty remark, but her phone started to ring from where it sat on her desk. She sighed, then walked over to it and answered it, while Chuck sat back down on the bed.

"Hello?" Blair asked into the phone.

"Blair Waldorf?" The woman on the line asked. She sounded bored.

"Yes, speaking" Blair said curiously. Who would be calling her that didn't know who she was?

"I'm from NYU's administration offices. Sorry for bothering you on a Saturday, I just wanted to inform you of your roommate this fall" the woman said.

"Oh. Who is it?" Blair asked, idly. She didn't really care. She'd hate the girl anyway.

"Georgina Sparks" The woman said happily.

Blair paused. No. No way. Not Georgina Sparks. The not-so-reformed bitch from hell? There had to be a mistake. There was no way Blair was rooming with _Georgina. _She hated her. She'd driven Serena away from Blair for a whole year, and then tried to blackmail her a year later. She'd taken her boyfriend's virginity, and sworn revenge on Blair.

"I... I'm going to have to call you back." Blair shut the phone and stared, wide eyed at the space in front of her. Chuck noticed Blair's strange behaviour and got up from the bed, then walked over to her.

"What is it?" He asked, his voice showing concern.

"George... Georgina" She stuttered.

"No, it's Chuck actually, but good guess" He smirked.

Blair just shook her head. Chuck new there was something wrong then, when she didn't reply with something snarky. He put his hand on her arm, being gentle for once in his life, and she turned to him.

"My roommate is Georgina Sparks"

**Up Next: Georgina plots to break Chair but they plot to break Georgina, Nate gets a girlfriend, Serena remains MIA.**


	3. 3x03: I Love College

**A/N: What's this? Two updates in one day? ZOMG!  
There's a good reason for this: I won't be updating until thursday or friday now. I'm still at school, and have a couple more exams this week, (German and Science, eeeeek!). Anyway, pleaseeee enjoy this chapter, and I thank you again for all your reviews, they mean a lot!  
****:-)**

3x03 – I Love College

Blair awoke to find herself in her bed, Chuck on her laptop next to her. When she began stirring, Chuck looked up from the screen and smiled at her. Her hair was all messed up from her short nap and her usual wide eyes were tired, but Chuck still thought she looked beautiful. Blair began to return the smile, and then remembered she'd fallen asleep when Chuck calmed her down after hearing _the _news.

Georgina Sparks was going to be Blair's roommate at college. Blair winced at the thought, and Chuck put the laptop on the bedside table and put his arm around Blair gently.

"Don't worry; I've already called my PI, he's looking into anything bad about G since she's supposedly been 'reformed'. Starting with exactly what she did to Poppy Lifton" Chuck smirked.

"Chuuuuuuck this is not a laughing matter! I can't have that evil EVIL excuse for a girl living in the same room as me! What if you're there one night when she's there? You have slept with her before!" Chuck shuddered as he remembered a memory he'd repressed all there years. Georgina was a psycho.

"It's going to be so _weird!" _Blair rambled on and Chuck laughed at the state she was getting herself in.

"Trust me Blair, I wouldn't step foot in a dorm no matter _who _your roommate was." Blair scowled at him, and Chuck picked his laptop and showed Blair what he had been looking at.

"Look, according to this, Poppy Lifton hasn't been seen for 10 weeks now." Blair looked confused. How had they not noticed before?

"That's right after Serena was released from jail and Georgina went after Poppy herself" Chuck said.

"So, you're saying Georgina had something to do with Poppy going missing?" Blair asked, putting her arm around Chuck's body subconsciously.

"Well I'm assuming so. I'm not going to go around accusing Georgina until we have all the facts though, ok? So don't say anything to Georgina." Chuck looked at Blair, hoping she wouldn't.

Blair nodded her head and climbed up to kiss Chuck.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck and Blair spent to whole of Sunday together in bed, and Chuck left early Monday morning to go home and get changed before going to work. He arrived at Bass Industries right on time – luckily his limo never got stuck in traffic – and he was greeted with the news that he had a new secretary. She was blonde, of course, and when she introduced herself to Chuck, _her name was Amy, _he felt as though she was flirting with him, but he shrugged it off. It wasn't an uncommon thing.

Chuck used to sleep with all his father's employees, but since joining the company as CEO, he never even thought about it. Not only did he have a girl he loved very much now, but he also had a reputation to uphold. He couldn't have sluts selling stories to newspapers about how he slept with them then never called them.

Around lunchtime, he was going to meet Blair for lunch but when she'd called he'd said he was really busy so they cancelled their plans. He was now on the phone to Nate, unfortunately, as he tried to tell Chuck about his new girlfriend. Chuck was baffled as to how Nate had managed to get a new girl in the space of two days, but then he remembered Nate's new car. _Guess cars really do impress girls._

"Bree has this really nice house out in the Hamptons, I'm going next week" Nate gushed.

"Great, Nate" Chuck rushed out his reply as he furiously typed at his computer.

"And she has a nice car too, like me. And she's blonde. You know I love blondes right, Chuck?" Nate babbled on.

"Yeah that's great Nate, listen, I have to go... Bye" Chuck hung up in haste. He wasn't just doing work for the company on his computer; he was also doing some research on just where Poppy Lifton was hiding. Exhausted, he abandoned his work for a moment and went to the bathroom.

When he returned a few minutes later, he was shocked – and for once not happy – to see his secretary sprawled out on his desk, chest pushed up.

He approached the girl, a furious look in his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Chuck said harshly. He didn't want this girl, she wasn't anything like Blair.

"You can't honestly tell me you don't want me" Amy smirked.

"No I don't want you! What are you doing? Who put you up to this?" Chuck said, his voice rising with each question.

At that moment, Blair walked into Chuck's office. She'd been a little disappointed when her lunch date with Chuck was cancelled; after all, now Serena was gone she didn't really have any friends to hang out with. So she'd decided to pick up some coffee and some food for herself and Chuck, and then go up to his office to eat. When she'd reached his door though, he'd heard him shouting at someone, and she decided to investigate.

She was a little shocked to find a blonde in Chuck's office, spread on his desk like a meal. _The slut, _Blair thought bitterly. Hadn't he promised her he wouldn't do this anymore? But then Blair remembered, he had been shouting at the girl, asking what she was doing.

Chuck looked sad as he wondered what Blair must be thinking; he thought she would assume the worst.

"Blair, this isn't what it looks like..." Chuck began, because in truth, it really wasn't.

"Relax Bass, I heard your conversation when I was stood outside" Blair replied, but she wasn't really looking at Chuck. Even though nothing had happened between Chuck and the girl, and nothing _would _happen, Blair still felt a little weird about the situation. She continued looking at the girl, who was now stood up in front of the desk.

"Who are you?" Blair asked the girl, intimidating her even though she was a few inches shorter.

"I'm... Amy, Amy Sparks" the blonde said. She looked nervous as she took in Blair's cold expression.

Time froze for Blair. She had thought she wouldn't see anything of Georgina until tonight, when she moved some of her stuff to the dorm. But now a relation to her was there? Blair hoped it was just a coincidence, that the girl was fortunate enough to just share a surname with the spawn of Satan, but Blair knew that's not the way things worked around here.

"Did you just say _Sparks?_" Chuck interrupted, and he noticed Blair's face turn into one of sadness.

"My cousin, she... told me to do this..." Amy whispered, meeting neither Chuck nor Blair's eyes.

"Georgina" The couple stated in unison. They should've known Georgina would try and break Blair and Chuck up. That was surely Georgina's reason for manipulating her way into being Blair's roommate: to destroy her, and everything good Blair had going for her.

Amy looked up as the two said her cousin's name, and she realised the harm she'd almost caused. When Georgina had told her to seduce Chuck Bass, she hadn't realised it would destroy a relationship. All Amy knew was that by doing it, she was getting some cash. She quietly left the room, assuming she was fired.

Chuck walked over to where Blair was stood and hugged her from behind. She was tense at first; she was still thinking about what had just happened and how Georgina had already got to them. However, she soon relaxed into his touch and they stayed that way for a few moments, before Blair kissed Chuck goodbye and promised to see him later. They'd decided to move Blair's things into her dorm that night, and now Georgina was already playing the game, they knew it was going to be interesting.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck got out of the limo first, and then held his hand out for Blair to hold as she too got out. Blair emerged from the limo and turned her nose up in disgust. She couldn't believe she had agreed to live _here. _She almost wished she'd agreed to live with Chuck; this place smelled funny and the building was pretty much falling apart. Chuck caught onto Blair's distress straight away, and put his arm around her waist as a silent sign of comfort.

They walked into the building and onto the first floor where Blair's room was situated, Chuck's driver following them with a few of Blair's boxes. When they entered the room, Blair let out a sigh of relief. Not because it was nice; in fact the room was dull, with grey walls and wooden floors, no artwork and pale white _non Egyptian cotton _sheets. No, the sigh of relief was for the fact that Georgina was nowhere to be seen. She hadn't moved in yet, and Blair hoped that she never would.

She turned around to Chuck and smiled, and he returned it straight away.

"She's not here" Blair said, happily. Chuck tried to be happy for her, but he knew Georgina too well.

"Blair... she _will _be here" Chuck said, and he put his arm around Blair as he said it.

Blair scowled. She liked to live her life as though it was a movie, and Georgina Sparks did **not** star in it. In fact, Chuck himself hadn't starred in it for a long time; it was only this past year where she'd begun to see Chuck as a very unorthodox – although still worthy – prince charming. However, if life went according to the movie script in Blair's head, Georgina wouldn't even exist.

"Maybe the office made a mistake, it happens" Blair said hopefully, but she knew it was no use. It was too much of a coincidence that the office had said _Georgina Sparks _was moving in, and then Chuck's new secretary was Georgina's _cousin_ who had been told _by Georgina _to seduce him.

Chuck looked at Blair as though she were missing something.

"No, you're right, she'll be here." Blair sighed, and kissed Chuck. Things were about to get more passionate when Chuck said:

"Blair, I'd rather have sex with you on the sidewalk than in this disgusting dorm."

Blair scowled at him again, but then grabbed his arm and led him to the limo. The limo was, after all, where everything between them had begun.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was laid in Chuck's bed as he took a shower. She found herself thinking of Serena once again. Serena probably knew loads of dirt about Georgina; they went out all the time before Serena went to boarding school a few years ago. Blair decided to try and get hold of Serena again.

"Hey you've reached Serena; I'm probably out with B or with my family right now, leave me a message"

Blair hung up the phone, laughing at Serena's voicemail greeting. Serena was definitely _not _with Blair at the moment, and she definitely was _not _with her family. Blair sighed. She really missed her best friend. Before Blair knew what she was doing, she found a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

Chuck emerged from the bathroom to find Blair curled up in a ball on his bed, crying. He didn't say a word; he wasn't a comforting person and Blair knew this, so instead he sat down next to her and held onto her waist. She smiled at him.

Chuck's phone rang just as Blair stopped crying. He sighed because he didn't really want to leave Blair, but then he realised his phone was on the bed so he didn't have to go anywhere.

"Chuck Bass" he said into the phone, and Blair smiled. It was such a typical Businessman-Chuck greeting.

"Chuck, it's Mike, I have that information on Georgina Sparks and Poppy Lifton you asked for"

**Up Next: We found out exactly _what _happened between Georgina/Poppy, Blair/Chuck plotting goodness, Chuck gives Blair an offer she can't refuse...**


	4. 3x04: Hunting For Witches

**A/N: Ok so I already had this chapter written so I figured I would post it now while I'm taking a break from revision :-) Oh and be warned, it's not the last we're going to see of Georgina, but she won't be back for a while now! **

3x04 – Hunting For Witches

"Yes, what is it you found?" Chuck said to his PI, who was currently on the other end of the line.

"Poppy is currently in Spain recovering from a lot of serious injuries, including broken limbs, and she is seeing a therapist to overcome the painful memories of her torture" Mike's tone of voice remained the same, as though he dealt with stuff far worse than this every day.

"You're saying Georgina tortured Poppy? Physically?" Chuck asked his PI, shocked. Blair sat up straight at his words. If Georgina could do that to _Poppy Lifton, _who hadn't done anything to Georgina directly, what would she do to Blair? Blair shivered a little just thinking about it, and Chuck noticed her discomfort. He put his free hand protectively over her hand.

"Not just physically, mentally too. Seems your girl Georgina is quite the expert at it." Mike mumbled.

"Oh I have no doubt" Chuck laughed bitterly, and gave Blair a sad smile.

"The authorities have no idea what went down, I can tell them if you want, I have the evidence." Mike said again, hope in his voice. He loved nothing better than seeing people go down for crimes.

"No... That won't be necessary Mike. I'll handle this. Thanks." And with that, Chuck hung up his phone. He laid down next to Blair and put his arm around her shaking form. She was scared; there was no doubt about it. Georgina had taken her craziness to a new level, and with all that Blair had done to her, Georgina had a motive to do far worse.

"Blair, don't worry, I'll handle this. _We'll _handle this." Chuck calmly said to Blair as he held her tighter. He felt her relax into his embrace and sigh contentedly.

"I know... I'm just, scared. I have no doubt you'll be able to handle this... I just..." Blair stopped as she found herself once again wishing Serena was here. Sure Chuck was there and he was more than capable of helping her, in fact he was more useful than Serena in plots, but her best friend should be there to comfort her too.

"You just what, Blair?" Chuck moved his form closer to his girlfriend.

"I miss Serena, what if Georgina got to her, too?" Blair whispered quietly. She hadn't admitted it to Chuck yet, because in fact she'd gone a lot longer than this without seeing her friend, it was just the fact she hadn't even heard from her, and their relationship was supposed to be a lot stronger than it was when she left for boarding school before. So it was different this time. Serena hadn't run away without saying goodbye – in fact she'd spent a full hour hugging Blair and bidding goodbye to her. But Blair felt something stir in her stomach every time she thought of Serena – she thought she was in danger.

"I doubt it. Serena's a big girl, Blair. I'm sure she's fine." Chuck said sincerely. However, his face told a different story. He knew his 'sister' had gone off to Fiji with Carter Baizen, and the thought frightened him. He knew Carter, and he knew what he was capable of, some would say he was even more dangerous than Georgina. When he found Carter at Blair's house that dreaded morning in March, he had wanted to kill him. The thought of someone he cared about getting involved with that _insect _turned his stomach. He cared about Blair very much, that much was obvious, but he also cared about Serena deeply. He'd never had a proper family before and Serena and Eric were the closest thing to it that Chuck had experienced. He wanted to protect them both.

"Yeah, I know... I guess we have more pressing matters at hand anyway" Blair quickly said as she tried to compose herself. She didn't like to appear weak to anyone – not even to Chuck.

"We'll go over to your dorm tomorrow, see if she's moved in." Chuck decided, and he felt Blair nod her head against his body.

"We can blackmail her then, tell her to leave or we'll hand her over to the police. Best to do it before she causes too much damage." Chuck mumbled the last part. He hoped for Blair's sake that Georgina hadn't already caused damage.

But Blair didn't reply. She'd already drifted to sleep in Chuck's _comforting _arms. Chuck listened to her steady breathing for a while, before surrendering to sleep himself.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was actually terrified as she stood outside her dorm door, debating whether or not she should go in. Blair never _ever _got scared. She was a Waldorf, and Waldorfs were tough. However, knowing that Georgina Sparks was probably on the other side of the door had her quaking in her Jimmy Choos. Luckily, Chuck was stood beside her with his arm around her waist protectively.

"Here goes nothing..." Blair said unsurely as she turned the door handle and opened it, closing her eyes as she did so. She didn't want to open them and see Georgina smirking, or see her stood there yielding a weapon.

"It's ok Blair, she's not here, you can open your eyes" Chuck laughed. He was trying to lighten the mood; he knew the state Blair was getting herself in.

Blair quickly opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around the room suspiciously, but everything was how she'd left it the day before. There were no new things here, no sign that the spawn of Satan had been here.

Blair grabbed Chuck's collar – because he always had to wear a suit, he was _Chuck Bass _– and kissed him. Chuck eagerly returned the kiss; he was happy to see Blair in a good mood. However, they both pulled apart when they heard footsteps entering the room.

"Well well Chuck, I see you've lowered yourself to Blair's standards. Carter Baizen, was it Blair? Can't say I'm surprised..." Georgina stood in the doorway, dressed in all black with killer heels and sunglasses that said _I'm a bitch, don't mess with me._

Blair took in Georgina's appearance and then gulped. Last time she had actually _seen _Georgina, she'd been wearing a pathetic little purple number that made her look young, almost innocent. Now she looked dangerous, deadly. Blair felt like hiding in a corner, but then she remembered who she was. Queen B, the one who everyone feared. She could be intimidating; she could intimidate Georgina, surely.

"Georgina, how _lovely _to see you." Blair said, and Chuck gave her a puzzled look before realising she was being sarcastic.

"Yes, I'm sure." Georgina didn't even look at Blair; instead she turned to Chuck. "Did you get my present yesterday?" She asked in a suggestive tone.

"You mean that _slut _you like to call cousin?" Blair said, taking control of the situation before Chuck had a chance to reply. Georgina just scowled at Blair, and took another step into the room.

"I trust you're going to be amicable about this living situation, Blair." Georgina said, acting innocent.

"Don't act like you didn't plan this, Georgina" Chuck stepped in. "You should leave, **now." **He said sternly, and Blair gave him a small smile.

"Aw how sweet, sticking up for your _girlfriend." _Georgina laughed, and took another step into the room. She was now stood dangerously close to both Chuck and Blair, and she still hadn't removed her sunglasses despite being indoors.

"Georgina, we know about you and Poppy Lifton." Chuck paused to see Georgina's reaction. Sure enough, fear flashed through her face, and despite not being able to see her eyes Chuck was sure they too were full of fear.

"What about Poppy Lifton?" Georgina tried to remain calm.

"We know how you tortured her both mentally and physically to get the money back." Chuck said, inching closer to Georgina to intimidate her. Georgina took a step back, and removed her sunglasses. Her eyes widened, and if Chuck and Blair didn't know any better they'd think her eyes were full of shame.

"You think you can blackmail me?" Georgina laughed, but her voice was shaky.

"Yes, actually, I do. Because I'm sure NYU _and _the police would love to hear about this, and I'm sure they _wouldn't _kick you out and send you back to that Jesus-camp" Chuck growled. Georgina's eyes widened in fear once again.

"What do you want from me Chuck?" She asked.

"I want you to go and tell the office that you **won't **be coming here this fall, you've had second thoughts. But hey, I hear Connecticut is lovely this time of year so I guess it's not _that _bad a punishment." Chuck laughed, and Georgina scowled. Connecticut was where her parents lived, and well... Her parents hated her, with good reason.

"This isn't the last you'll ever see of me." She regarded them both, giving them an icy stare.

"For your sake G, you better hope it is." Chuck said sternly, and ushered her out the room. Not before Georgina shot him another scowl though. Chuck and Blair had won this battle, but Georgina always came back, whether it be in a day, a week, or a year. Blair was just relieved that Chuck had sorted all of this mess out for her though, and she ran over to him (well, as fast as her heels would allow), and kissed him passionately.

"Thank you, Chuck" She mumbled against his lips, and Chuck smiled. He wasn't used to being the hero in Blair's life. For years Nate had been the one to play the role of knight in shining armour and Chuck had liked that just fine. He wasn't into all these fairytales and happy endings until the night he realised he was in love with Blair. Ever since then he secretly took pleasure in being her Hero, knowing he was the one to rescue her; which wasn't very often, admittedly. Blair was a Queen who could usually handle things very well herself.

Chuck grabbed her hand and Blair almost pulled back in shock. It wasn't like Chuck to hold her hand; it just wasn't something he did. But Chuck was in a good mood as he realised just how much he would do to make Blair happy. So he intertwined their fingers until they reached his limo, which was waiting outside for them to return to his suite.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Later that night, Blair was laid at one end of Chuck's bed while Chuck was laid at the other. They didn't usually cuddle before they went to sleep - unless it was like last night when Chuck was comforting Blair – instead they laid as far apart as possible, but when morning came they found themselves as intertwined as could be, as though at night their bodies became magnets that were impossible to part.

Chuck turned on his side to look at Blair, only to find her in the same position as he was, looking at him.

"Blair, I know we talked about this before, but why won't you move in here with me?" Chuck asked, studying Blair's expression. It was calm, and she didn't seem confused by his question. She'd been waiting for it all day.

"Chuck... It's not that I don't want to, but don't you think it's a little early? I mean it took you two years to say 'I Love You'," Blair began, but Chuck interrupted her.

"Hey, it was less than two years!" He protested, and Blair laughed. Chuck's face lit up at her laughter. He didn't know when he became such a sap, but hearing Blair's laugh made the butterflies flutter more than ever before.

"Yes but still, I want everything to be perfect between us." Blair smiled. She still believed in her happy fairytale ending, no matter who it was with. Chuck just sighed at this.

"Blair, no matter how much we love eachother the forces are always going to act against us. Why waste time? Just say you'll move in with me." Chuck pleaded. He knew sooner or later he'd make a mistake – he always did when it came to Blair. He didn't want to spend any unnecessary time apart from Blair because he knew that with his track record it wouldn't last forever, no matter how much he wanted it to. So he wanted to spend every moment possible with Blair, from when she woke up looking dead to the world or at night when she looked beautiful in the moonlight.

Blair sighed. Chuck put up a good argument. The whole concept of 'Chuck and Blair' was a disaster waiting to happen; their love was so strong that they were both bound to get burned in the long run. So she reluctantly agreed to move in.

"Fine." She tried to sound angry about it, but Chuck knew better. He knew that she was secretly excited about living with him. And he hated to admit it, but he was excited too.

**Up next: Blair and Chuck argue over their new living situation and Nate finds himself playing the peacemaker, while Serena's whereabouts remains unclear despite a text to Blair.**


	5. 3x05: Declaration Of War

**A/N: This is the last of the chapters I had already wrote, I'm going to do some more writing later this week. :-) thanks for your reviews everyone, they brighten my (ridiculously stormy) day.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl but I know somebody called Josh. Is that good enough?**

3x05 Declaration of War

Blair stomped around her new bedroom in a very un-ladylike fashion, almost breaking her heels as she did so. Not only was her mother angry at her for moving in with Chuck instead of staying in a dorm (but Cyrus had managed to convince her it was a good idea in the end), but Chuck's suite was far smaller than she had originally thought. Chuck had way too much stuff for one barely eighteen year old boy. In fact, it seemed to Blair that Chuck had more possessions than she did.

"Chuck! There's no room in your stupid closet for all of my stuff! It's too small!" Blair whined as she ran her fingers through her brunette locks in distress, and Chuck stood behind her in the doorway, smirking at her.

"Blair, I think your clothes are just too large." He gave another smirk; with Blair around it seemed to be permanently plastered on his face, it was almost smug. Blair stopped in her tracks, then turned around and scowled at him.

"Did you just call me fat?" Blair asked, her anger rising. What a Bass-hole!

"No dear, I called your clothes fat. Big difference." Chuck was now nearly laughing at how easy it was to annoy Blair. She was pacing around his _very large _closet at the moment, trying to find space in between his countless suits for her winter wardrobe.

"Son of a... So much... suits! Purple! Ties... rip them up." Blair was mumbling, and Chuck strained his ears to listen. How dare she complain about Chuck's love for purple! Purple is a sensible colour, and Chuck wore it well. It wasn't his fault that Blair couldn't see the appeal of purple.

"Blair, you know you love my style." Chuck winked at her, and Blair ripped a few of Chuck's suits of their hangers and replaced them with a few of her dresses. Chuck, in seeing this, approached her with an alarmed look on his face.

"Blair what the hell! These are Armani!" Chuck fretted as he tried to rescue his suits from the floor. _Even maids didn't make this much mess!_ Blair just stood there smirking at him though, and it was a trait she had most definitely picked up from him.

"Oh Chuck, I'm sorry, but when you asked me to move in here I thought you said "What's mine is yours"." Blair turned and began searching the closet for some space for her many pairs of shoes.

"Yes but what I meant was, FIND YOUR OWN GOD DAMN CLOSET WOMAN!" Chuck was still agonizing over a speck of dust on his favourite Armani suit. He turned to glare at his girlfriend.

"No can do, Bass. This is the only one in the suite. Which, you should know because it is actually _your _suite!" Blair laughed at Chuck's stupidness, but Chuck just mimicked what she was saying, causing her to scowl once again.

"I saw that, Bass-hole" Blair muttered.

"I meant you to, Waldorf" Chuck smirked then replaced Blair's dresses with his suits again. Blair didn't argue this time; she just started humming Moon River and went back into the bedroom to unpack another box. Chuck, confused by her actions, followed her and sat on the bed, but Blair never turned to look at him.

"So what, you're not talking to me now?" Chuck smirked; it really was too easy to wind up Blair.

Blair rolled her eyes and gave Chuck a very rude message with her middle finger. Chuck just laughed at how un-ladylike she was being. He knew Blair prided herself on being a true lady who followed the proper etiquette and went to all the high society formals. But Chuck also knew that she only did it to make her mother proud, and that deep down inside there was a wild, carefree Blair that she only liked to show him.

"Love you too, Waldorf." Chuck smirked and then laid down fully on the bed. It was only 2pm, but he was over tired from last night's activities. Before he knew it, he was asleep.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair had re-entered the room at 2:30pm to find Chuck fast asleep and curled in a ball. She was about to go and wake him up when she noticed his hand. Chuck Bass was sucking his thumb! Like a baby! Blair had to stifle her laugh so as not to wake him. _Oh this is too good! _She acted on instinct: she reached into her purse and took out her phone, then took a photo. Sending the photograph to Gossip Girl would be perfect revenge...

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Nate Archibald had just returned from a lunch date with his new girlfriend Bree Buckley. It was Friday, and they'd only been dating 6 days, but already he was starting to really like her. _Not as much as Serena though, but she'll never be mine. _He had just pulled up in his Ferrari when he received a text. He expected it to be from Chuck, complaining about Blair taking up all the space again (he'd already received 10 texts about her so far that day), but he found that the text was from Blair herself.

**N, Come 2 the suite now, there's smething u should see - B**

Nate was intrigued by this, and so he returned to his car and began the short journey to the Palace Hotel.

When he reached suite 1812, Blair rushed to the door and opened it before Nate even had time to knock, and she dragged him inside, telling him to be quiet. She was leading him to her and Chuck's bedroom, and Nate assumed she was trying to seduce him.

"Blair what are you..." Nate began, but Blair put her hand over his mouth and brought him into the bedroom. She kept sniggering, and Nate was confused, until he saw Chuck. He was in exactly the same position as earlier, still sucking his thumb, except now, on his forehead, Blair had written "bass-tard" in permanent ink.

Nate burst out laughing before Blair could tell him to be quiet. He fell on the floor, holding his sides as the laughter came in waves. Blair was furiously motioning for him to shut the hell up, but Nate found it too hilarious to stop. Due to his childish giggles, Chuck awoke from his sleep.

"Wha... What's going on? Blair?" Chuck asked, and reached for her instinctively. Blair just took one look at Chuck's tired face and began laughing too. She'd tried to repress the laughs all day, but now Nate was laughing too it was hard to stop.

"Oh man... your face..." Nate managed to get out between laughs. Chuck look at him with a confused expression. What was wrong with his face? He stood up quickly and went into the bathroom to inspect as Nate and Blair's laughing decreased. Chuck gaped at his reflection in shock, and knew it was Blair's writing instantly. He scowled. Why would she do this? Then he remembered, she had gotten into a mood with him earlier, and this was probably her revenge. He walked back into the bedroom where Blair and Nate were now sat, both wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.

"Very funny Waldorf, although I must say your attempts at revenge are wasted on me, I'm unbreakable." Chuck said proudly, although he felt like a fool.

"Sure Bass, or should it be bass-tard?" Blair replied, and Nate burst out laughing again.

"Nathaniel you're not helping." Chuck said shortly, and Nate instantly stopped laughing.

"Sorry man, it's just so funny, Blair beating you for once!" Blair smiled innocently as Nate said this.

"Chuck, _sweetie, _you should check your phone." Blair said in a suggestive tone, evilness lurking in her eyes. Chuck gulped as he reached for his phone, which was currently situated on the bedside table. He opened it and his eyes widened.

**Aw look! Here's King C acting like a baby... Sucking his thumb! Surely with all his money he'd be able to afford a pacifier? Thanks for this one, B.  
XOXO – Gossip Girl**

There was an attached picture too, the same one Blair took earlier in the day. Chuck groaned and gave an icy stare to his girlfriend, who was still sitting on the bed, looking innocent once again.

"Nathaniel, you should leave. **Now." **Chuck said bluntly, and Nate gulped, and then left the suite. Blair didn't move an inch though, she'd won this round, and the game was over, anything Chuck did now wouldn't be as bad as what she'd done to him.

"You make it so easy for me, Bass." Blair smirked as she got up and began walking out of the door. "I'm going to pick up some more stuff from home; I'll take your limo." She said, but Chuck didn't reply, so she left him stood alone in his – _their – _bedroom.

He began pacing. He needed revenge. Badly. He was never going to live the Gossip Girl post down, and he mentally reminded himself never to fall asleep after an argument with Blair. Who knew what other weird things he did in his sleep? Then an idea came to Chuck, one that would certainly get Blair back for sending the Gossip Girl tip...

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair returned to the Palace Hotel at 5pm, a little later than she had originally planned, but that was because when she'd reached her old home, Cyrus had some new food he'd wanted her to try and Blair couldn't refuse. She stepped out of Chuck's limo, smiled at the driver, and began stepping inside. She noticed a few people in the lobby turn to stare at her, but she assumed it was just because of her choice of outfit. It was a light blue dress with a white belt, but she was wearing a hat that even the most fashion-savvy would hesitate to wear. But Blair liked to take a risk.

However, when she reached the elevator, Blair stopped in her tracks. Why was her new dolce dress hung up inside? Scratch that, why were pretty much _all _her dresses hung up inside? Why were all of her shoes cluttering the floor? Someone had to be behind this, and she knew exactly who it was.

She reached the suite to find Chuck laid on his bed doing some work. Blair tried to keep calm as she approached him, but as soon as she saw his smirking face she wanted to kill him.

"I hope you're happy." Blair said shortly. Chuck lifted his head up from his work and took in her dishevelled appearance.

"Yes, actually, the stock market is looking good this week." Chuck said, and then returned to his work, acting uninterested in what Blair had to say.

"I saw one of the maids wearing my favourite Gucci dress." Blair said, her eyes narrowing.

"I'm sure it looks better on her than it does on you." Chuck smirked again, but then Blair hit him around the head with a pillow.

"Mother Chucker! Just because you have no style!" She screamed, hitting him again.

"I think we've established I have plenty of style, what were you saying to me yesterday when you ripped off my suit? "Oh this tie is exquisite!"" Chuck laughed, grabbing her wrists gently, but firm at the same time. Blair squirmed in his arms.

"You owe me a new dress, Bass, and new shoes." Blair whined as she sat down on the bed next to him.

"Yeah well, you owe me a time machine so I can go back to this afternoon and not fall asleep in your presence..." Chuck smirked again, as he prepared for another pillow-battering.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

The next morning, Blair awoke from her slumber at 7am. Chuck was already in the shower, although he didn't have to be at the office today; it was Saturday. She groaned when she realised how tired she still was, and considered going straight back to sleep. However, at that moment Chuck emerged from the bathroom, towel around his hip. Blair found it hard to focus.

"Blair, I know I'm incredibly sexy but could you listen to me?" Chuck laughed, and Blair sent him a death glare.

"Your phone buzzed earlier, I think you have a message." Chuck said, and then walked into the closet. Blair was hesitant to check it, assuming it was a Gossip Girl blast that Chuck had sent to get revenge. However, when she checked the message, she was shocked at who it was from.

**B, I'm not coming home... something's come up. I'm not in Fiji either, but that's not important. I'm safe, for now. If you see my mom, tell her I miss her, but this is something I have to do. Don't call me, I can't speak to you right now. Carter and I have to do this together. – S x**

Blair dropped her phone in shock.

**Up Next: Blair tries to cope with life alone as Chuck's work takes over their lives and Serena doesn't return, and Nate and Dan are far from helpful. And with Christmas on the way, will Blair cope with being neglected?**


	6. 3x06: Keep Us Together

**A/N: Look who found the time to write this... me! I was meant to be in school but we had a HUGE thunder/lightning storm today and lightning struck the school, and now for some bizarre reason there's no electricity. So they sent us home. WIN!  
So I had time to write and upload this. And I warn you, I had a real war with this chapter, and I know it doesn't exactly follow the timeline (as the last chapter was in september), but just imagine we've skipped to Blair's birthday and C/B have lived in bliss all this time.  
thanks for your reviews, they mean so much to me :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl but I own several chairs in my home.**

3x06 Keep Us Together

Blair entered the suite after spending the day with her mother. It was her nineteenth birthday today, and her birthdays were usually spent with Serena and they included an elegant party of hundreds of friends, but now Blair had no minions and Serena wasn't there, she'd decided not to have a party. Instead, she'd spent the day at her old home with Eleanor and Cyrus, laughing at the old man's jokes and sighing as her mother lectured her about Chuck again. Now she was planning on spending the night with Chuck, and as he'd told her not to return until 7:30pm, she knew he was planning something special.

She'd hoped this something special would be a romantic meal because she hadn't eaten all day; she didn't like eating in front of her mother. But when Blair reached the dining table of the suite, there were no plates of delicious food and Blair couldn't repress her sigh in time. Then she walked over to the bar; there was nothing there either, and Blair was seriously wondering just exactly _what _Chuck was planning. Then she reached the bedroom, and laughed.

"Chuck, I know I said I didn't want anything special from you for my birthday but I certainly wasn't expecting _you, _wrapped up _in a bow_." Blair said as she entered her and Chuck's bedroom. She was slowly getting used to living with him, although he still annoyed the hell out of her most of the time. Now, he was currently sat on the bed naked with a red bow around his neck. _So that was his big surprise._

"Both you and I know that I can bring you more pleasure than any gift you could possibly receive." Chuck smirked, almost laughing at his own joke, whereas Blair just rolled her eyes.

"Nice try, Bass. Now hand over the real gift." Blair stepped closer to him and held out her hand in anticipation. Chuck sighed; he was really fretting over what Blair would think of his gift. He hadn't purchased the gift as such; it was more of a _family air loom. _The vintage brooch with elegant diamonds had actually belonged to his mother, and when his father died he had left it to him, saying he should "Give it to somebody special". So that's exactly what he was doing.

Chuck handed the small, navy blue velvet box to Blair with a sheepish smile, and Blair snatched it from his hand immediately. It was something Chuck knew very well about Blair: she _loved _gifts. No matter how much they cost or what colour they were, any gift would do for Blair.

Blair opened the box and her eyes widened. When she saw the small box she thought it would be a ring, and turn out to be one of Chuck's jokes, but now she saw what was inside her heart stopped. It was beautiful, elegant and exactly her style.

"Do you like it?" Chuck asked nervously as Blair had a tear in her eye. "It was my mother's"

Blair gasped at this and smiled a wide smile that Chuck loved to see; he was usually the only one to ever see it, too. She put the box down on the bed and threw her arms around Chuck, and this hug wasn't awkward like usual because he wrapped her arms around her straight away instead of standing there stiffly; he was relieved he liked the gift. Blair moved her lips close to his ear and whispered:

"I Love It."

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

A few weeks later, Blair walked out from her English class, quickly putting her books in her bag as she rushed to the cafe at the edge of the NYU campus. The cafe was probably the nicest one there _and the only one Blair would be seen dead in, _and Chuck had arranged to pick her up there, and Blair was already 5 minutes late because she'd had to talk to her teacher. She'd started classes a few weeks ago, and already she was way ahead of all the people in her English Language and Literature classes. She couldn't complain though. As much as she'd dreaded coming here all summer, it wasn't as bad as she'd expected. Sure, it was no Yale, but Blair had already begun to realise that the fairytale she'd always dreamed of just wasn't something she wanted anymore.

As Blair turned the corner to approach the cafe, almost too quickly in her 4 inch heels, she became confused. In between all the normal, low-priced cars that cluttered the road, was Chuck's limo. However, the spot where Chuck usually stood waiting for her with a bouquet or other gift was occupied by someone else: his driver. Where was Chuck? Blair approached his driver – Gunther – a little quicker, eager to find out where her boyfriend was.

"Hi Gunther, where's Chuck?" She politely asked. Blair was always polite to the help; they could always spit in your tea or do something else of the sort.

"Mr Bass instructed me to take you straight home or anywhere else you desire; he's in a business meeting and won't be home until 8." Gunther replied with a pitying smile, and he held the door open for Blair. Blair's expression turned to deflated; now she would have nothing to do until Chuck came home that night, because she still had no idea where Serena was after that text a few weeks ago, Nate was busy with his new girlfriend and she didn't talk to Cabbage Patch any more than necessary. She entered the limo, scooting over to her usual seat despite Chuck not being there. She tilted her head to look out of the window, but somehow it just didn't look the same.

The same thing happened three days in a row.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

A few days later, Chuck was seated in his office going through some paperwork when his new secretary (he'd hired a new one after the whole Amy debacle), said he had a call. Chuck put it on speaker as he was literally unable to keep his hands from his computer's keyboard. He'd been working all week on the special case study, getting home far later than anticipated, so he'd hardly seen Blair as she was usually asleep before he got home and he went to work before she awoke.

"Chuck Bass" He said into the phone, still in businessman mode.

"Hi, it's me" Blair's voice sounded through the phone and Chuck recognised it instantly. Unfortunately, he really was too busy to talk. He was emailing investors from Tokyo and at the same time preparing a presentation for the board meeting tomorrow and he still had to think of a new 'exciting' business strategy that would keep Bass Industries thriving in the current economic climate.

"Blair, I'm a little busy right now." Chuck said, trying not to sound harsh but hoping that his voice sounded pleading enough.

"Oh, ok..." Blair said sadly. She was feeling really lonely lately. Especially today, Wednesday, when she'd usually visit her mother and Cyrus for dinner, but they were currently in Milan for some fashion event. So Blair was currently sat in the suite she and Chuck shared doing absolutely nothing.

"I'll make it up to you later, I promise" Chuck said, and he hung up before Blair had a chance to reply. Both he and Blair were trying to convince themselves that all this work was just a temporary thing; that it would calm down once the market stabilised. However, Chuck was the CEO of Bass Industries now and he knew how it affected his father, how he'd barely managed to have a personal life and ruined his own marriage. Chuck decided then and there that he needed to make it up to Blair, but how?

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was laid on the sofa asleep when Chuck arrived home at 9pm. She'd clearly been reading something for her English class; _Emma _was strewn across her body. Chuck laughed, he'd never been a fan of the classics; he imagined they'd send him to sleep too. He carefully walked across the plush carpets of his – _their – _suite, being careful not to drop the gifts he'd purchased for her. He knew that Blair couldn't be won over by a couple of gifts, (that had been proved when he'd bought her gifts before finally telling her he loved her), she was going to need more. But this was a good start, he supposed.

He almost felt guilty for waking her up. She looked so angelic; nobody would guess she was a total bitch _but a total bitch that Chuck loved, _when she was awake. Her brunette curls splayed softly onto her cheeks and her mouth was turned up into a slight smile. Chuck hoped that she was dreaming of him, but the way he'd been neglecting her he highly doubted it.

Chuck gently (well, as gently as Chuck Bass could) stroked his hands across Blair's cheek, and she jumped up quickly, head butting him in the process.

"Ouch! Waldorf what the hell?!" Chuck said in an angry tone, holding his head in a dramatic manner.

"What do you mean "What the hell Waldorf?" You're the one who woke me from my lovely dream, Bass!" Blair scowled, also rubbing her head.

"I try to do something nice and I get abused for it!" Chuck sighed, sitting down next to Blair.

"Something nice? You just woke me up you Basshole!"

"Yes but I bought you flowers! And Chocolates!" Chuck protested.

"Oh Flowers, boohoo. Come back when you have a real apology, Bass."

Blair was really annoyed at having been disturbed from her dream. She had no idea where it came from, but she'd dreamt of the four of them, The Non-Judging Breakfast Club. They were all in the playground, all aged 8, and Chuck was pushing Blair on the swings as Nate and Serena played tag. Blair remembered thinking how angry she had been that Chuck was pushing her on the swing instead of Chuck, but when she was in the air all she could think about was being free. Now, being awake, Blair laughed at the memory/dream. She'd had all these childhood moments with Chuck that she'd wasted as she was too hung up over Nate. Blair was about to tell Chuck of her dream, but he had other ideas, he set the flowers and chocolates down on the coffee table and moved to kiss her cheeks, then her neck.

"Chuck." Blair moaned, her body and mind betraying her for a moment as she tried to remain angry at him, but it was almost impossible. She melted under his touch every time.

"Don't think that seducing me will win me back." Blair said shortly, but she was struggling to breathe as Chuck lightly kissed her collarbone.

"Stop ruining my brilliant plan, Waldorf." Chuck said in a serious tone, and Blair laughed.

"I've missed you" It slipped out of Blair's mouth before she had time stop it, and she cursed herself for now appearing weak in front of Chuck. Now he was going to know that she'd spent the last week in a daze without him there, going to lectures but never really taking anything in, meeting new people but never remembering their names. It was like she was missing something; a part of her, and that something was Chuck.

Chuck saddened at the words. He'd known Blair was getting annoyed with the fact he'd been working non stop recently, but he hadn't realised it had affected her so much. But then he remembered, with Serena gone and things still a little awkward between her and Nate, she didn't really have many friends now.

"I'm here now..." Chuck murmured as he placed a kiss on her shoulder, much like he had at her seventeenth birthday party two years ago, and Blair sighed contentedly as she too remembered it.

"That you are Bass, that you are"

**Up Next: Bumper Christmas Chapter! What will Chuck and Blair get eachother? What will Blair's father make of Chuck? & Just who is that mysterious blonde that's crashing the christmas party? Is it Nate in a wig? No, oh god, it's...**


	7. 3x07: Season Of Love

**A/N: Here it is, the Christmas chapter. It took me ages to write, and I've been ill too so it's lucky that I'm actually uploading it today. But anyway, enjoy! & thank you for all your reviews, too. They mean so much (L)! All the mistakes in this are mine, btw.  
Also, it was HIGHLY DEPRESSING writing Christmas stuff in the middle of the year, it's made me so excited for this Christmas!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, but I do own Christmas as I'm Santa Claus in disguise.**

3x07 Season Of Love

A few weeks later, Blair awoke one morning to find Chuck's arms around her as he slept soundly. Blair smiled widely; these past few weeks Chuck had really tried to cut down on work, and now it was just 2 days until Christmas she was glad to be seeing more of him. She was eager to see her father, too. She hadn't seen him since he'd visited with Roman when all the Yale drama was ongoing, and she was really hoping that he and Chuck would get along. Even more so because she hadn't actually told her father that she'd gotten together with Chuck. In fact, every time Harold called Blair they ended up talking about trivial things such as the weather and what she wanted for Christmas, and not about Blair's love life.

Speaking of Chuck, she had only just bought his gift 2 days before. She'd been debating for weeks over what to get him, and without a shopping partner (She hadn't called Serena or texted her, and there was still no sign of her), she'd had a little trouble picking out a gift. She'd considered asking Nate at one point, but then she thought that Nate was a little unobservant and she probably had a better chance of picking out the perfect gift herself. In the end, she didn't even have to buy Chuck anything. The gift she was going to give him meant more than something money could buy, and she hoped Chuck would appreciate it.

Half an hour later, Blair had left the suite, leaving a note to Chuck that said

"Morning Bass, while you're enjoying your beauty sleep, I'm going to meet my father for breakfast. I'll call you later on.  
Oh and I love you. –B x"

When Chuck awoke and read the note, he couldn't help but smile. No matter how many times Blair said it, he couldn't get over the fact that she loved him. It felt good every time. Something about the note worried him though; in his quest to find the perfect gift for Blair he had totally forgotten that her father was coming to visit, and now he was a little nervous. He wasn't the perfect date – despite being charming in his own way – and Chuck couldn't help but feel he was going to be compared to Nate.

Speaking of Nate, he had to meet him for brunch. Chuck had spent the few weeks since Blair's birthday trying to find a perfect present for Blair that was better than her birthday present, and he was at a loss. Not that he was depending on Nate to help him. In the years they were dating, Nate bought Blair some sort of bland jewellery every Christmas. Chuck hoped to change that; he was going to give Blair something meaningful, and original. He just needed a second opinion, first.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Harold and Roman were already seated at a table in the restaurant when Blair arrived, and they rushed over to her to envelope her in a big hug. Roman kissed both her cheeks and commented on how happy she looked, and Blair thanked him. She'd really gotten to like Roman now, despite the fact she still blamed him for destroying her family. None of that seemed to matter though; all she had to do was look at her father's face to know he was happier now than he was then.

Blair seated herself at the table across form her father and Roman, and they looked up at her with a knowing smile.

"What's wrong with you two?" Blair asked.

"What's wrong with us? What's wrong with you! You're literally _glowing." _Roman said in his French accent.

"You're not pregnant are you?" Harold asked, concern in his tone, but Blair just laughed.

"No Daddy, I'm not pregnant, I... things are just going really well." Blair replied, not being able to hide her grin.

"With a boy?" Roman pressed, and Blair rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. It'd been this way when he'd visited last time, always pressuring her about Chuck, despite the fact she wasn't speaking to him at the time.

"Yes, with a boy." Blair said, not giving too much away in order to torture Roman.

"Do we know this boy, or is he new?" Harold interrupted.

"You know him." Blair said absentmindedly, focusing on the menu. She'd have told her father over the phone if she knew they were this interested about it.

Roman squealed; he'd figured it out. Harold also seemed to have pieced together the puzzle, and his eyes lit up. Blair lifted her head up from the menu and gave them a wide smile, which they returned.

"So, Chuck?" Harold asked, and Blair smirked.

"Took you long enough to work it out." Blair said, and they all laughed. Roman was still in shock; he'd never met Chuck before but he'd seen photographs of him, and from those Roman had established that Chuck was awfully handsome.

"I'm so happy for you Blair Bear. Will he be joining us tomorrow night?" Harold asked, referring to the party Eleanor was hosting. Everyone was going to be there; Cyrus (and Aaron, unfortunately), Harold and Roman, and then the van der Woodsen-Bass-Humphrey family along with many more rich guests.

"Yes, he's excited to meet you again; I know we were twelve the last time you met." Blair laughed, as she recalled the memory. It had been the first Christmas since she'd started dating Nate, and Chuck had gotten obnoxiously drunk after being rejected by his father once again. So she and Nate had bought him back to the Waldorf home and with Harold's help, had him all cleaned up. Chuck couldn't remember any of this though, it was his first time getting drunk and he'd been too hung over the next morning.

Roman interrupted Blair's thoughts with an enthusiastic clapping of his hands.

"Are we ready to order then?"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck was pacing in the living area of his and Blair's suite when Nate strode through the door without bothering to knock. In fact it wasn't until Nate blocked Chuck's path that he noticed he was there. Chuck had been too busy thinking about Blair's present _again._

"Chuck, what's going on?" Nate asked, a little worried about his best friend's strange behaviour.

"I need help."Chuck said in a very serious tone, and he stopped pacing to look at Nate.

"Are you high? In legal trouble? Killed someone? Oh did you kill Blair? Is that why she's not here?" Nate was trying to make a joke out of Chuck's seriousness, and Chuck's lips twitched into a smile.

"No, Nathaniel, I didn't kill Blair, she's out with her father and Roman. No, I need your help with an entirely different matter." Chuck said, and he sat down on the sofa, motioning for Nate to join him.

"Shoot" Nate said.

"It's about what I've got Blair for Christmas. I need your opinion on whether she'll like it." Chuck said.

"Chuck, you know Blair a lot better than I do..." Nate began, but Chuck interrupted me.

"True, but your opinion would be nice; I'm going crazy with worry here." Chuck laughed despite himself, and Nate let out a small chuckle too.

"Ok, what did you get her?" Nate asked, sitting back in his seat.

"I... I can't really show you, but I can describe it. It's not finished yet, you see." Chuck explained, and suddenly Nate was interested.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

The next day was Christmas Eve, and it was also the day of the 'Eleanor Rose Christmas Party'. Dorota had spent the whole day setting up the penthouse for the guests, while Eleanor and Cyrus spent the day with Harold on Roman, despite the awkwardness of the situation.

Blair and Chuck had also spent the day together doing Christmassy things despite Chuck's hatred for the holiday. He'd spent the last Christmas in an opium den in Bangkok mourning his father's death, and he'd pushed Blair far away from him to protect her. He couldn't help but laugh at how things had changed between them. Here she was, stood in their closet, trying to pick out a nice suit for him.

"You know I'm perfectly capable of dressing myself, Blair." Chuck smirked as he did his hair in the mirror.

"I'm just preventing you from making a huge Style mistake!" came Blair's muffled reply from the closet.

"Style mistake... like that dress you wore yesterday?" Chuck said and he hid his body in case Blair came out of the closet bearing weapons.

"My Daddy bought me that dress... I'll tell him you said that." Blair mused, and Chuck's expression turned to one of horror.

"Blair, please don't, the dress was lovely, I..." Chuck backtracked.

"Chuck, relax. Harold will love you, as will Roman. In fact, they kinda already do." Blair said as she came out of the closet and approached Chuck, handing him a simple yet classy black suit and dark pink tie, that complimented Blair's choice of outfit that evening; a long dark pink dress with a sweetheart neckline.

Chuck nodded his head and kissed Blair softly on the lips, and she wrapped her hands around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair. Then, realising what she'd done, she pulled back and sheepishly smiled.

"Sorry, I forgot you'd just styled your hair." She said, and Chuck smirked.

"I think your family would like it if we both entered the party with Sex-hair." He replied, and Blair hit him with her bag. Unfortunately for Chuck, he hadn't hid his body in time.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

The party was already in full swing when Chuck and Blair arrived (a little later than planned, but that was due to traffic and _not _other activities...), and Harold ran over to greet them both immediately. Blair hugged her father tightly despite only seeing him yesterday, while Chuck stepped back, feeling a little awkward. It had been years since he'd seen Harold, and he was wondering what he could say to him now he was in a relationship (however dysfunctional it sometimes was) with Blair. His fears were cut short, however, when Harold held out his hand for Chuck to shake with a large smile on his face.

"Charles, it's so good to see you." Harold said, with sincerity in his voice. Blair smiled up at her father. Harold knew that Chuck had broken her heart before, and she was happy that her father wasn't going to hold a grudge against him for it.

"And you sir, Merry Christmas." Chuck said, shaking Harold's hand firmly, and shooting a glance towards Blair that told her he was relieved.

"Now, come with me, Roman is just dying to meet you! Blair, I think Dorota wants to see you in the kitchen..." Harold said, dragging Chuck away with him, and Blair got the hint. She walked towards the kitchen, excited to see Dorota again. Now she was living with Chuck she didn't see the loveable maid all that often, and although she hated to admit it, she did miss her.

"Dorota!" Blair exclaimed as she walked through the kitchen door, and Dorota turned towards her, holding a tray of assorted cakes. Blair took one greedily; she hadn't eaten all day. Plus, she wasn't too worried about her body anymore. Chuck loved her and though she was beautiful; he told her so every day. She had no desire to look like Serena anymore (if Serena even looked good anymore, who was Blair to know? She hadn't seen her in months), and she knew for sure this time that her boyfriend wasn't in love with Serena; they were pretty much family.

"Miss Blair! You have glow just like your mother when she meet Cyrus!" Dorota observed, and Blair laughed.

"Chuck makes me happy." Blair said, and Dorota's expression dropped.

"I no like Mister Chuck." Dorota said, and then she mumbled something in Polish that Blair didn't understand. Blair just giggled at her comment though, and said goodbye to Dorota.

Meanwhile, Chuck was stood at the Piano in the living area with Harold and Roman. To his surprise and relief, he was actually getting along with the both of them, and he was enjoying their company.

"Chuck! I really love your suit. Armani?" Roman asked as he felt Chuck's arm. Chuck felt uncomfortable about it, but he didn't say anything about it. He wanted to stay on Roman and Harold's good side.

"Yes, that's right." Chuck replied, and tried to keep his face calm as Roman continued the inspection of his suit – and indeed his body. Harold coughed to try and hint to his partner that Chuck was feeling uncomfortable, but luckily for the three of them Blair was on her way over.

"Blair Bear! There you are!" Harold said, and Chuck's expression turned into one of relief yet again. He could handle Harold, but Roman's flirting was getting a little weird.

"Yes, I'm here, no need to worry." Blair smiled, ever the charmer, and Chuck put his arm around her waist and kissed her hair.

"Ah, look at you two, so sweet!" Harold said, and Roman eagerly nodded in agreement. Blair and Chuck looked at them in disgust. Them, sweet? It was not a typical word used to describe the two of them, either apart or together. Chuck just shrugged off the comment and laughed though, and Blair smiled up at him. She'd thought he might turn awkward because of the comment; Chuck Bass did now want to appear sweet to anyone.

"Excuse us, I have to talk to Blair" Chuck said, and he quickly whisked Blair towards the door.

"Where are we going?" Blair asked, shocked. One minute she and Chuck were joking around with her father and Roman, and now he was dragging her out of the party!

"I can't wait any longer." Chuck said, being cryptic. Blair just followed him obediently, still confused.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

They arrived at their destination 20 minutes later, but Chuck had blindfolded Blair so she wouldn't know where they were. Chuck helped her get out of the limo, and then held his arm around her waist gently as he guided her to the destination.

"We're here." Chuck said, and he silently thanked God that everything had gone as planned and it looked perfect.

"I can't exactly see where 'here' is." Blair grumbled, and Chuck laughed.

"Oh, right." Chuck said, and he reached to undo the blindfold. It fell away from her eyes, and Blair was instantly mesmerised by what she saw. They were at the ice rink in Central Park, but instead of its usual Christmas lights, there was a large billboard at the front of the rink, that held a message spelled out in white lights.

"I Love You Blair Waldorf"

Chuck stood in front of the sign, and sheepishly smiled. He'd taken a while planning out his Christmas present for Blair, and he figured something like this would mean more to her than another necklace or earrings. Blair approached him with tears in her eyes (which she quickly wiped, she was _not _a sap), and kissed him fiercely. Chuck eagerly responded, and a laugh escaped him and Blair's reaction. After a while, she pulled back.

"I suppose you want your present now." She said, smiling.

"That would be nice..." Chuck teased, and Blair scowled. Then she reached into her purse, where she'd put the gift in case she felt like giving it to him tonight.

"Well Waldorf, it's a small gift if it fits in your purse." Chuck laughed again, but then stopped as he realised what she was holding out to him in her small hand.

"That's..." Chuck started, but he couldn't finish his sentence; he was lost for words. It was a pin. But not just any pin, it was _the _pin. The heart shaped pin that Blair had given to Nate when she first told him she loved him 6 years ago. Now it was his. Her heart belonged to him.

"I thought you should have it now, because I love you, and only you. Forever." Blair cringed a little at the cheesiness of her words, but what the hell, it _was _Christmas. It gave her a free pass to be romantic and sappy.

Blair put the pin on Chuck's sleeve, while Chuck looked at her with loving eyes. He held her hands after she'd attached the pin to him, and smiled at her.

"I suppose I have to look after your heart now." Chuck smirked, and Blair grinned.

"That was the idea, yes." Blair laughed and kissed him.

Chuck looked behind him at the empty ice skating rink, and then held Blair's hand, something he was beginning to do more frequently now. Blair glanced at their intertwined fingers and smiled. She knew it wasn't normal for them, but every so often it felt good.

"Now Waldorf, how about we put this ice rink to good use?"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

The next morning, Chuck and Blair awoke together in eachother's arms after a passionate night, and spent the morning cuddling in bed, despite it being Christmas, the usual time for gift giving. They were supposed to be having dinner with the van-der-Woodsen-Bass-Humphreys at Chuck's old home, and Chuck was actually looking forward to it, despite the fact Dan was going to be there. Luckily, when Lily had asked him to join them _more like begged_, Chuck had persuaded her to let Blair come too. Now they could suffer it together.

After getting ready together (and wearing complimenting outfits, as always), they headed up to the top floor where the family lived, and Eric greeted them as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Guys, I know we invited you but now probably isn't a good time..." Eric said in a warning tone, but Blair and Chuck were both in such a good mood that they disregarded his comment and entered the home anyway.

"Eric don't be silly, we're here now any..." Blair stopped as she walked into the living area.

Sitting on the sofa was someone neither Blair nor Chuck expected to see.

"Hey, Blair..."

**Up Next: Blair talks to the mystery guest, Chuck and Eric bond & some 'Chair Friction' is caused by the guest's appearance...**


	8. 3x08: What Ever Happened

**A/N: Posting this now as I won't be online this weekend I don't think. Most of you guessed who the mystery guest was so well done :-)  
Oh and I do apologise for this chapter... It kind of annoys me but it's building up into a storyline that's going to last about 5 chapters. It's hinted at in this chapter.  
enjoy & R&R :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl but I don't have to: _I'm Chuck Bass._**

3x08 What Ever Happened

"Serena?" Blair said, shock evident in her expression and tone. The blonde – who was currently sitting on the sofa while her mother poured her a glass of wine – didn't look any different, despite being off the radar for 6 months. She was still as beautifully blonde as ever, although there was something different in her usually innocent blue eyes. This time, they held pain.

"Merry Christmas, B." Serena said, a smile coming to her lips as she took in the appearance of her best friend. She looked exactly the same as Serena remembered, but a little happier than when they'd said their goodbyes; Blair hadn't reunited with Chuck by that point. Serena had followed Blair's summer on Gossip Girl, and known that she'd been together with Chuck ever since.

However, Blair had had no way of seeing what Serena had been up to. She hadn't been hanging out in Gossip Girl territory like Blair had, and she hadn't gone to Brown for the start of term, much to the worry of everyone. The fact that Serena had gone off with Carter Baizen was an even bigger cause for concern; everyone knew of his reputation, and nobody trusted him.

"I... I have to go." Blair stuttered, and ran out of the home and into the elevator before Chuck or Serena could stop her. She thought she'd wanted to see Serena again, but now it seemed all too familiar; Serena leaving after doing something wrong, like sleeping with her boyfriend. However, Blair knew that Serena wouldn't sleep with Chuck; they were adoptive siblings and looked out for eachother that way. So what was it that Serena did?

Chuck approached Serena warily, but when he saw her pained expression he went into brother-mode and sat down next to her.

"Hey Sis, nice to see you back in one piece." Chuck said, his anger melting as he realised just how much he had missed her. He'd always liked Serena, even as they were growing up, and when he found out she was going to be his step sister he was secretly excited. Over the past two years he'd grown to love her as family, and would do anything for her.

"Chuck, I missed you." Serena smiled slightly, and squeezed his arm in a loving manner, and Chuck returned the smile.

"She doesn't hate you, you know." Chuck said, referring to Blair.

"I need to talk to her, to explain." Serena said, and rested her head on Chuck's shoulder. Chuck thought for a moment, and then promised:

"It'll all work itself out eventually, don't worry."

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was laid on the bed she and Chuck shared, with her head in the pillows. She was willing herself not to cry, but the pesky tears came anyway. She didn't even know why she was so upset. Surely she should be overjoyed that Serena was back? In truth, she was happy her best friend had returned. But Blair couldn't get over the fact that Serena had barely kept in touch with her, right after they'd promised to always stay in touch despite being in college.

Blair didn't notice when Chuck returned a while later with a plate of food, and he set it down on the table next to her and sat down on the bed. When she felt the bed shift, Blair mumbled something, but her face was still in the pillows.

"What?" Chuck asked, chuckling at Blair.

"I said go away, I don't want you to see me like this." Blair repeated as she lifted her head from the pillow and sat up. Her make-up had run down her face and her hair was all messed up, but Chuck just smiled.

"I've seen you looking a lot worse than this, Princess." Chuck smirked, and Blair narrowed her eyes at his comment. He used to call her Princess all the time, but recently he'd stopped. Blair had to admit, although it wasn't a traditional pet name, it still felt good. Blair didn't say anything, and eyed the food on the bedside table. She hadn't eaten anything all day, and she _was _starving, but she couldn't bring herself to eat. Chuck noticed her looking at the plate warily.

"Blair, you should eat something." Chuck said, addressing her with her first name to highlight concern.

"I'm not hungry." Blair lied, and Chuck saw straight through it.

"Yes you are, eat." Chuck pressed, and Blair sighed, taking some of the turkey and chewing it slowly. Chuck smiled and got up from the bed.

"I'm going to see Eric; I haven't spent much time with him lately. Call me if you need me." Chuck said, and Blair nodded as he left the room.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"Eric, I don't know what to do with her." Chuck said as he sat down next to Eric, stealing his scotch.

"Hey!" Eric protested, but Chuck just smirked.

"You're too young for it anyway." Chuck replied, causing Eric to laugh.

"Please, you were 12 when you first had scotch." Laughed Eric, and Chuck joined in.

"Yeah, and look how I turned out." The two brothers shared another laugh.

"If you're talking about Blair, then you know her better than anyone. Probably better than she knows herself." Eric smiled, and Chuck's face fell as he recalled a similar conversation he'd had with Blair at Nate's family reunion. He'd wanted to comfort her, to make her feel like Blair again, but he failed.

"She's missed Serena so much, she just doesn't want to admit it to anyone." Chuck noted, and Eric nodded.

"We all have."

"Yeah but they both promised to stay in touch because Serena was supposed to be going to Brown, and when Blair found out that Serena never showed up at Brown and she wasn't answering any of her calls... It affected her more than she let on." Chuck said, taking a sip of his stolen drink.

"Serena told me where she was all this time, and I think Blair wouldn't be so angry if she let Serena explain." Eric said, turning around to face Chuck.

"That may be... but Blair's a very stubborn person." Chuck smirked, and set the glass down on the table, and Eric chuckled at Chuck's description of Blair. If Blair had caught Chuck saying that, he'd have a black eye.

"Wow." Eric said as he realised something, and then leaned back in his chair.

"What?" Chuck asked, confused.

"You didn't ask me to tell you where Serena was." Eric laughed, confused by Chuck's behaviour. Usually Chuck would be dying to know everything about everyone, but Chuck had just shrugged and gone on to talking about Blair.

"As long as she's back in one piece... That's all that matters to me. Means I don't have to hunt down Carter Baizen." Chuck shrugged, and Eric laughed.

"You'll be seeing a lot more of him..." Eric said, and Chuck's expression turned to one of horror.

"Oh the insect's not back in New York is he? I don't want him going near Blair..." Chuck began, but Eric put his hand on Chuck's arm to stop his rant.

"No, but Serena keeps talking about him. I think there's something going on there..." Eric began, but was interrupted by the sound of two heels coming down the hallway.

"Something going on where?" Serena asked her two brothers, knowing full well they were talking about her.

"With the company, there's a deal going on." Chuck saved Eric with a poor lie, and Serena remained unconvinced. She didn't bother to argue with the two, however.

"How's Blair?" She asked, joining Chuck and Eric on the sofa.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Chuck asked the blonde.

"I don't know if..." Serena began, but Chuck shot her a pointed look.

"Blair's stubborn, you know that. Just go and explain where you were and why you didn't call her." Chuck said, and rose to his feet, reaching out his hand for Serena. She reluctantly took it and stood up.

"Ok..."

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was in the bathroom, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Suddenly she felt as though she'd put a lot of weight on. Her arms appeared bigger than usual, and her stomach was more rounded. _How could Chuck love me? _A thought crossed her mind. She looked behind to where the toilet stood, but shook the thought away. _No. I can't do it. No. _

Just then, Chuck entered the bathroom and saw his girlfriend criticising her appearance in the mirror. He sighed. To him, Blair was perfect, and there wasn't an inch of her he didn't love. He just wasn't sure Blair knew that. He knew that Blair knew he was there, but she didn't say anything, so he walked up behind her and kissed her shoulder.

"You're beautiful." Chuck murmured against her skin.

"No I'm not." Blair said, tears appearing in her eyes for a millisecond before she commanded them away.

"Blair, you're perfect." Chuck said, more firmly this time, and Blair just nodded as she leaned back against him. They stayed like that for a few moments before Chuck remembered why he'd come back to the suite.

"There's someone here to see you." Chuck said, and Blair's eyes snapped open.

"You brought Serena here?" Blair hissed, and turned around to face him. "How could you!"

"Blair, just let her explain herself." Chuck said, trying to calm down his girlfriend.

"Oh of course! Take her side! Everyone takes Serena's side!" Blair began to rant, but Chuck grabbed her waist.

"Blair, I know how unhappy you've been without her here, so I suggest you go and talk to her. Now." Chuck said in a demanding tone, and Blair sighed. He was right. She had missed Serena so much, it just hurt her knowing that she hadn't wanted to speak to her all this time.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"Blair!" Serena exclaimed as Blair walked into the living area of the suite, while Chuck walked into the bedroom to give the girls some privacy.

"Serena, I'm not doing this by choice." Blair muttered, and then sat down not facing Serena, causing the blonde to sigh.

"B, I've missed you." Serena started, but Blair interrupted.

"You don't think I've missed you? I thought you were just going to spend a few weeks in Europe then come home to see me before college! But no! I find out you went God knows where with _Carter Baizen _and haven't even bothered coming back until now! Do you know what it's like to have your best friend leave without telling you where they're going? You've done it to me TWICE now S!" Blair started crying despite her best efforts to remain in control.

"B, I had to go with Carter. " Serena said calmly, but didn't approach Blair for fear she would snap at her.

"Why? Into drugs again are we, S? Killed someone else?" Blair was malicious with her tone.

"No B I..." Serena began, but was interrupted by Blair again.

"Or maybe you thought "Oh, here's another person Blair's slept with, let's sleep with him!""

"I went to find my father." Serena said, by some miracle keeping her calm tone.

"Don't lie to me S, you don't even know your father." Blair said, but her tone was softer.

"Carter was helping me track him down." Serena began, but was interrupted by Blair once again.

"Couldn't you have called me and told me this? You make me wait six months for you to tell me this! You never even told me where you were going!"

"Blair I..."

"Just go, Serena. Leave. I don't want to talk to you right now." Blair said, not meeting Serena's eyes. Serena obediently began walking towards the door.

"I love you B, I'm happy for you." Serena said before walking out. Blair burst into tears and Chuck came out of the room on hearing her distress. He walked over to her and gently put his arm on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.

"Chuck, I just want to be alone." Blair said sadly, and walked into the bathroom once more, leaving a dejected Chuck in the living room.

**Up Next: Chuck works a lot and blows off Blair to catch up with Nate, and Serena gives up on Blair after another heated argument. Who, or what will she turn to?**


	9. 3x09: Easy Way To Cry

**A/N: I return with a (short) chapter! Hey, at least it's a chapter, right? Anyway, I know it's short but it's VERY important as it sets up the next few chapters. Also, this week is my last week in school and I have a lot of work to finish, so I don't know how much time I'll have to write, just a word of warning. Anyway, enjoy! and R&R please x!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, and i don't own a witty disclaimer either.**

3x09 Easy Way To Cry

She'd been in the bathroom for over an hour. _Over an hour. _If this had been anyone else but Blair, one might have thought that they were having a long bath or having a pampering session. But this was _Blair, _and Blair had a problem.

Blair didn't know what made her do it, she'd thought about doing it earlier when she'd returned from 'dinner', but it had been so easy to push the thoughts aside then. Now, the urge invaded all her senses, it bullied her and controlled her until she did it. Blair _hated _not being in control. So she did the only thing she could; she purged, in hope that she wouldn't want to do it again. She'd done it at thanksgiving, 2 years ago when her father didn't turn up, and she'd recovered then. So what's to say she couldn't recover now?

The toilet was mocking her. She'd failed again. She'd allowed herself to relinquish control, allowed herself to be weak in the worst way. She'd succumbed to her old habit instead of allowing her boyfriend to comfort her, instead of accepting her friend's apology and moving on. She wasn't even angry at Serena for leaving now, she was angry at herself for letting Serena make her feel like this.

Making her feel as though she wasn't needed.

Six months. Over six months went by without her hearing from Serena, and Blair had been hurting. She'd been able to control it then, though. She allowed Chuck to whisk her away into a fantasy every time she thought of Serena. But now she was back, and it was a reality. Her best friend had forgotten about her for six whole months. She was _worthless, _no matter what Chuck said.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck had left the suite as soon as Blair had stormed off into the other room. He couldn't deal with upset Blair right now, he'd offered his comfort and she'd scoffed at him and threw it back in his face. He couldn't understand why Blair was being so stubborn about it; Serena was her best friend and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, Blair _had _missed Serena, and Chuck could see it.

Chuck was now on his way to see Nate. One grand tradition that he and Nate used to have when they were a little younger was that they'd get high and wasted on Christmas Day. Chuck was really in the mood for that now; he hadn't smoked hash in months, in fact he'd had none since he'd began dating Blair because he'd had no need. He knew for a fact Nate still smoked the stuff though. He'd had to listen to a good few telephone conversations that consisted of Nate whining that Bree had dumped him, all because he refused to stop smoking. Chuck was confused and amused by this; Nate didn't even smoke that much.

It only took 15 minutes for the limo to reach Nate's apartment where he now lived, after he began attending Columbia in September. There was no traffic around, just a few families walking down the sidewalks arm-in-arm, being the very definition of the cheesy Christmas family. It made Chuck a little sick. Sure, he'd planned the surprise ice-skating present for Blair, but now he just wanted to get Christmas over with.

When he knocked on the door, Nate answered almost straight away. Chuck was a little surprised; he thought he might be spending the holidays with his Grandfather, and as Chuck hadn't called, he thought he might have to go home without seeing his friend.

"Hey man, what's up?" Nate asked, smiling a little as he took in Chuck's dishevelled appearance. He looked a little like scrooge, Nate thought.

"Can I come in?" Chuck asked, glancing behind Nate to see if anyone was there. Sure enough, the tiny apartment where Blair had nearly lived was empty.

"Sure." Nate said, a little confused, but happy his friend was there. He'd spent Christmas with his mother in a restaurant and it had been awkward to say the least.

"Got any scotch?" Chuck asked, as he moved to sit on the small sofa.

"Of course." Nate said, walking over to the kitchenette to pour he and Chuck a glass. "So what brings you here?"

"The burning desire to smoke." Chuck smirked, making the hand action to match what he was saying, and Nate laughed.

"I haven't got any Hash, Chuck. I threw it all out when Bree dumped me." Nate said, looking a little sad as he referred to his ex girlfriend. He'd really like Bree, but when she'd jumped to conclusions over the Hash she'd found, she was set in her ways about getting rid of Nate.

"Ah, Bree. I see she came to her senses before having to spend a pitiful Christmas with you." Chuck smirked, only half joking. He knew Blair used to hate spending Christmas with Nate; he never got her the gifts she wanted and he'd always bailed after dinner to go smoke hash with himself. Ok, so the last part was sort of his fault, but he didn't _force _Nate to blow off Blair and smoke.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nate asked, a little venom in his voice.

"What it means, Nathaniel, is that you never know the right gift to buy a girl. If Bree were here you'd have just disappointed her." Chuck said, not really knowing where his anger was coming from. He guessed he was a little angry at being shunned by Blair; all he'd wanted to do was help her. But why was he taking it out on Nathaniel? It wasn't really fair.

"Oh and I'm sure Blair _loved _your tacky ice-rink surprise." Nate mocked, and Chuck forgot about his previous thoughts. He'd spent hours coming up with that gift for Blair, and she'd certainly liked it, she'd rewarded him over and over again last night.

"Blair loved that gift, unlike the many _boring _bracelets you bought her over the years." Chuck said, trying to prove to Nate once again that he knew Blair better than he did.

"You know as well as I do that Blair likes expensive things. What you got her hardly cost a penny." Nate said triumphantly, because he was right. Blair did like expensive gifts, but Chuck knew that there was more to Blair than just liking money. Blair deserved love and affection, and Chuck knew that sometimes money wasn't the best way to give her that.

"Nathaniel, get over it. I swear if this is about you still having feelings for Blair..." Chuck began, but Nate interrupted.

"Oh what, so just because we're having an argument it means that I'm still in love with Blair?"

"You never loved her." Chuck stated, and a flash of guilt ran through Nate's eyes. It was true; he'd never been _in love _with Blair. He'd loved her - that was for sure - but in a more friendly way. Truthfully he'd always been in love with a certain yellow-haired statuesque beauty, and Chuck knew it. Hell, even Blair knew it.

"You don't know what love is." Nate argued, still wanting to get the upper-hand on Chuck. Chuck shrugged. Maybe he didn't. But he knew that he felt stronger feelings for Blair than he'd ever felt for anyone else. That had to be love, when you can't stop thinking about the person, when they invade your senses 24/7.

"I know more than you think Nathaniel." Chuck said, rising from the sofa and heading towards the door. "I should go."

"Whatever man." Nate said, not really caring at this point.

Chuck slammed the door to Nate's tacky apartment on the way out, and he stormed into his limo. He _hated _falling out with Nate. They'd been best friends since they were 6, and Nate was the only one who ever put up with him, except for Blair. In fact, some days, Chuck thought that it was because of Nate that he realised just how strongly he felt for Blair, because when Blair was Nate's, Chuck thought about her more than anything.

But earlier this year when Blair and Nate had gotten back together, Chuck had loathed Nate. It was the only time that Chuck had ever felt more than an annoyance towards his best friend, but Nate had crossed the line back then. He knew how Chuck felt for Blair, and he'd gone and been her prince charming anyway. Now, despite things still being a little tense between them, things were almost back to normal, back to how things used to be before all the crap of the last two years happened.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was sat at the end of her bed, not crying, no, she wouldn't allow herself to cry anymore. She was just looking at the floor; thinking about how Chuck might react if he found out Chuck had relapsed. Chuck knew that Blair used to be bulimic, when Serena had left for boarding school 3 years earlier, she and Chuck had grown closer after Chuck had been the one to comfort her one night after a relapse. She'd sworn him to secrecy, and to this day he'd never told anyone. Not even Nate, who, after several years of dating Blair, never knew of her condition.

She looked over at her phone, which was lying on the bed near the pillows. She opened it up, and noticed she had a text message.

**B, I'm going to Columbia next term, so I'm staying in the city. I know you don't want to see me, but I can't keep fighting with you. I'm giving up. I love you. – S x**

Blair closed the phone and put it on her bedside table. She climbed into the bed and pulled the covers up as high as they would go, so she wouldn't have to face the world. Her best friend had given up on her, and it was all her own fault. She'd been stubborn, she'd barely allowed Serena to explain, and now she'd given up.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair had been laid in the same position – not asleep, just still – for half an hour when Chuck returned. His angry mood had calmed now, and he just wanted to see Blair and make sure she was ok. He wasn't entirely surprised to find her lying in the bed; he was glad she wasn't in the bathroom doing god knows what.

He walked over to her and laid down next to her on the bed, and she turned around to face him, smiling slightly. No words passed between the two, but they both seemed to understand each other. Chuck put his arm over Blair's waist after kicking off his shoes, and she sighed contentedly as he held her. She felt safer now – he was getting better at this comforting thing – but it wasn't enough. She knew it was only a matter of time before he gave up on her too.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, and Chuck nodded.

"It's ok." He said, and he closed his eyes, surrendering to sleep.

What he didn't know, was that Blair wasn't just apologising for shunning him earlier, but for something much worse.

**Up Next: A deal a Bass Industries takes up all of Chucks time, and Blair puts on a brave face. She makes a new friend as she returns to school though... do you DAIR me to tell you who?**


	10. 3x10: The Cleansing

**A/N: Shortest chapter yet (oh no!) but it was very _very _hard to write because I haven't got a lot of experience or knowledge on this topic, so I apologise if it isn't that good.  
I'm going to update again in a few days, and the next chapter is better and longer, promiseeee!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl but I do own some macaroons.**

3x10 The Cleansing

One day the next week, Blair was almost ready to start back at school. She'd spent the New Year with Chuck, and she'd actually had a really nice time. They'd gone out for drinks until 11pm, and then gone back to the suite to bring in the New Year the _proper _way. Things had been going well between them, and they'd both forgotten of the awkwardness Serena had caused in their relationship.

Serena. Serena had moved into a new apartment near the Columbia campus, and according to Eric, she had been spending a lot of time with Nate. Not that it mattered to Blair and Chuck, Blair was still refusing to call Serena and make amends, and Chuck hadn't spoken to Nate since Christmas when they'd argued.

Blair awoke from her sleep to find Chuck already gone from the bed, and the space where he slept was already cold. Blair was confused, the alarm clock said it was only half past 7, and usually Chuck didn't leave for the office until 8am. She glanced at the bedside table, and there was no note. Her heart dropped a little; Blair always left a note at the bedside when she left before Chuck. Blair decided not to let it get to her though; he'd probably just been called into the office for an emergency meeting.

Blair got up and got dressed and _didn't _look at the toilet (for she'd been good ever since Christmas, not allowing herself to be weak again), but she didn't want to fight temptation. She was fine. She was fine. She was fine.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was walking around the campus after departing her English Literature class, when she saw someone she _most certainly _did not want to see approaching her. _Dan Humphrey. _Blair hated Dan, he'd ruined her chances with Chuck that painful night in Brooklyn last fall, and Chuck had told Blair everything that Humphrey had done to he and his father before Bart had died. Blair was livid about it all. Dan was a _Humphrey, _and Blair could only tolerate one of them in her life. She'd chosen Jenny to be her queen and had kept in slight contact with her, but until now – despite attending the same school – she hadn't seen Dan since after graduation from Constance.

And now Dan was sort of smiling at her, in his weird awkward way.

"Blair." Dan said, not really sure if he wanted to greet her; he wasn't fond of Blair himself and he was half expecting a snide remark from her.

"Dan." She replied, sort of shocked at herself that she'd used his first name.

"Err... How are you?" Dan said in his usual stutter, and Blair found herself smiling in familiarity. After spending a term in the company of a ton of people she'd never met before, she'd felt a little scared. She didn't have her Queen B status or her minions here at NYU, and to hear the voice of someone from her old school was a little comforting.

"Peachy, Humphrey." She resorted back to last names just to keep her cool exterior.

"You don't look it..." Dan began, but then stopped when he took in Blair's shocked expression.

"Excuse me?!" Blair exclaimed, eyes wide. Blair Waldorf never looked bad. She was perfect. She had to be. She was fine. _Fine. _

"You just, look a little different... tired. I... err... don't mean to offend..." Except Dan did mean to offend. Blair had always been horrible to him, ever since he'd began dating Serena over 2 years ago. Not that he ever talked to Serena anymore; ever since his father got engaged to his mother he'd avoided her like the plague, and luckily for him it seemed she was doing the same, she'd practically disappeared off the radar until her appearance at Christmas.

"I just didn't get much sleep last night, ok?" Blair snapped, and it was true. She'd spent half the night debating whether she should do what she wanted to do so badly, but when Chuck had tightened his hold on her waist as though he was reading her mind, and she'd decided to try and get some sleep. It was hard though, she had wanted to tell Chuck of her mistake but she didn't want him to think she was weak. She was strong. She was _fine._

"Ok, Blair, I just... It doesn't matter. I know it's kind of weird for me to be err... offering but I... if you need to talk, I'm, uh, here." Dan didn't know what he was doing, but something told him that something was wrong with Blair. _Something very wrong. _

"You might be more use to me if you were over there, Humphrey." Blair snapped out, and began walking away. She couldn't seem weak to _Dan Humphrey. _She was the Queen, he was a simple pawn. She couldn't befriend him. She couldn't.

"Bye." Dan said, as Blair walked away from him, completely ignoring her last comment. It only told him one thing: Blair was denying something; she was denying she needed help. Dan doubted he could be the one to help her, but he thought he may as well try.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair returned home after a day at school, to find she had still not heard from Chuck. If he was working hard or had to stay late at work, he _always called, _or at least texted her or sent her flowers. But when she reached the suite, there were no flowers. No peonies, no roses, no nothing. The same went for her phone. No messages, no missed calls. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Blair felt like nothing.

But she was fine. _Fine._

She went to her closet. She would find something nice to wear, something classy, elegant, _sexy. _She could look sexy; she was sexy when she wanted to be. Just because Chuck wasn't there to tell her so didn't mean she couldn't be sexy.

And _fine._

Blair picked out a dress that Chuck had bought her as another small Christmas gift. It was red (because he loved that colour on her), and had black jewels on the neckline. Blair loved it, but she hadn't tried it on yet, so she decided to now.

It didn't fit.

She couldn't get the zipper up.

Chuck had bought her the dress. Chuck wanted her to be thinner.

He wanted her to be perfect.

She was _imperfect._

And _not fine._

The toilet was her enemy and her friend. Her _best best friend _that acted worse than her arch enemy of enemies. It taunted her. Taunted her to do it. She didn't make herself do it.

Chuck made her do it.

No.

Serena.

No.

_Herself._

It's the only person she truly loathed. Herself. _She was making herself sick again because she loathed herself, and purging made her loather herself more. _

It was a circle.

A never ending circle that Blair was stuck in and she could never get out of.

Ever.

She wasn't fine.

But she could pretend she was. So she flushed the toilet and went in the shower.

Washed the disgust away.

She changed into a nightgown and went to bed. Sure, it was only 7pm, but she wasn't exactly playing by the rules now.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

When Chuck arrived later, he'd been in a very bad mood. He'd had to go in early that day to meet with some buyers from Shanghai, and he'd barely had a chance to breathe, never mind call Blair and tell her he was working late. He'd expected Blair to wait up for him and shout at him for not calling her, but when he walked into their bedroom he'd found her sleeping already, looking troubled yet peaceful in her curled up form. Chuck instantly felt guilty; he wanted to talk to her. He'd missed her today.

But she looked fine. Perhaps she _was _fine.

**Up Next: An incident leads to the hospital for one of our characters, but who will be the one to rescue them?**


	11. 3x11: God Save The Queen

**A/N: Another shortish one, but I'm going to be updating again VERY soon, I promise. I have the rest of the story planned out now, 24 chapters altogether, I just need to write it now! Anyway, enjoy this please, and please review! I really love reading what you guys think of it.  
xx.**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would love to own Chuck Bass, I ruined his pants so he hates me now.**

3x11 God Save the Queen

Chuck was at work. Again. He'd been called in to work super early once again, and though he'd spend the night with Blair, he didn't get a chance to see her before he left, and he didn't have time to leave a note. He'd barely seen her at all in the past few weeks since New Year, and he was really feeling guilty about it. Blair had been looking a little sad recently too, and Chuck thought there was something wrong with her, but every time he tried to ask her, he was called into work.

"Mr Bass, call from Miss Waldorf on Line 1" came the voice of his secretary, and Chuck instantly felt a little better in himself when he heard Blair's name mentioned. He didn't answer his secretary, instead answered his phone straight away despite being busy. _Guilt can do that to a person, I guess._

"Morning, Blair." He said, and though he tried to sound cheerful he still sounded tired.

"Chuck, how come you're in work so early?" Blair said, confused and disappointed that he'd gone so early.

"I'm working on this deal with Japanese investors, I won't be long." Chuck said, although in reality he didn't know when he'd be back. This deal was taking ages.

"Oh, good. We need to talk about something." Blair said, urgency in her voice.

"Ok... look why don't you take my card and go shopping? Go buy a new outfit and I'll take you out tonight." Chuck said, wanting to impress Blair.

"Oh um, I was going to go to the bookstore and get some books for class, but thanks anyway." Blair said, although she was excited about him taking her out tonight. However, what she was planning on telling him later might change his decision about everything.

"Ok Blair. Listen, I have to go." Chuck said, not really paying attention to what Blair had said.

"I love you." Blair said, because she hadn't really said it much recently.

"I love you too." Chuck said almost automatically, and then he hung up.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair was both nervous and excited as she got ready for the day. She'd only thrown up once in the past two days, and she felt as though she should purge again. Her dress didn't look right when she criticised her appearance in the mirror, it made her hips look large and her stomach look swollen. She hated it, and everything about the way she looked.

She managed to clean herself up within 5 minutes, a record.

She locked the suite up, and rode the elevator down to the ground floor where she hailed a cab easily. This was one of the main reasons she loved New York; she could get a cab easily. Luckily, she didn't have to head all the way down to school today; she had no classes. The bookstore was near the campus though, so she told the driver to head there. The bookstore had been recommended by her English teacher – Professor Pardy – and she was eager to check it out. Blair loved reading; the escapism is brought her was all she needed to forget her _problem _for a little while.

When she reached the bookstore, Blair stepped out onto the sidewalk and eyed the bookstore in disgust. It looked as though it should be in Brooklyn, and she hated that outer borough with a passion. However, Blair was surviving NYU now, which was certainly not an Ivy League school, so she persuaded herself to go inside the bookstore, _how bad could it be?_

Blair was browsing through the classics section when she felt someone come and stand behind her. She closed the book sharply and turned around to face the intruder.

"Dan. What are you doing breathing near me?" Blair snapped, annoyed at finding herself in Dan's company _again._

"Blair, it's a bookstore. Did you really not expect to see me here?" Dan joked despite himself, and Blair had to fight a smile too.

"I didn't expect you to sneak up on me." Blair protested.

"I didn't sneak, I was stood behind you a while but you were too engrossed in thought... or whatever it is you do in your head." Dan joked.

"Oh, it makes jokes. I was reading; as you so pointed out this _is _a bookstore." Blair said, and pointed to her book.

"I'm surprised you even listened to what I was saying." Dan said, amused.

"Your stuttery speech is annoyingly loud, Humphrey." Blair said, grinning.

"So where's Chuck?" Dan asked, surprised to see the two of them unjoined. They usually stayed together like a two headed witch who you should avoid at all costs.

"He's at work." Blair sighed, and her eyes flashed with pain, but Dan didn't press the issue. He doubted she would tell him about it anyway.

When Dan didn't say anything, she was about to snap a witty remark at him, but suddenly she was overcome with dizziness. She felt shaky, cold and weak, like an intensified version of how she felt after surrendering to her porcelain enemy.

"Blair... are you ok?" Dan said, noticing her pale face.

"I..." Blair started, but she didn't get to finish. She fell backwards, just missing the bookshelf. Dan rushed forward and caught her just before she hit the ground, but she was limp in his arms.

"Call an ambulance!"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck got a call around 10 minutes later.

"Dan, to what do I owe this Un-pleasure?" Chuck drawled into the phone.

"It's Blair." Dan said into the phone, as he rode in the ambulance with Blair. He felt a little strange in this position, but he knew that Blair should have someone there with her even if she hated his guts.

"What have you done with her, Humphrey?" Chuck said, anger rising.

"She fainted... I... We're on our way to the hospital." Dan stuttered out, and Chuck's face went white.

"She _what?" _Chuck shouted, fear in his eyes. Something had happened to Blair, _his Blair, _and he couldn't handle that. He'd sworn he would look after her, and he'd failed. _Failed._

"Just get here as soon as you can, Chuck." Dan said, knowing Chuck would want to see Blair.

"I'm already on my way." Chuck said, abandoning his (important) work and heading out the door. He didn't care if he got in trouble for not completing the deal; _his Blair needed him._

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck reached the hospital in record time, but that was mostly because he told the limo driver to get there in 10 minutes or he would be fired. His limo driver had kept his foot firmly on the gas, and despite being in a limousine, he'd weaved in and out of traffic easily, pulling up outside the hospital in satisfactory time for Chuck.

He rushed into the reception area, not caring if he walked into anyone on the way. He was on a mission, a mission to find his girl, the girl he loved.

"I'm looking for Blair Waldorf." He told the receptionist gruffly, and she knew better than to tell him to go away. He looked scary, and the receptionist didn't want to get on his bad side.

"Certainly... Err... Room... 315" She stuttered out, and took a sigh of relief when Chuck charged away from the desk and into the elevator.

Chuck charged down the corridors searching for the room, and when he finally reached the correct corridor, he was almost relieved to see Dan Humphrey sitting there.

"Humphrey..." Chuck began, and Dan turned to face him, but their short lived conversation was interrupted by a Doctor who had just left Blair's room.

"Excuse me Sir; are you a friend of Miss Waldorf?" The doctor asked, and Chuck glared; he wanted to see Blair already.

"Yes, I'm her boyfriend... Can I see her?" Chuck pressed, almost on his toes in anticipation.

"Not just yet I'm afraid, there have been a couple of complications. I can explain everything fully, but I wanted to ask you a couple of questions first, about Blair's _condition._" The doctor said, stressing the word condition, and Chuck took a step back.

"Blair's condition?"

**Up Next: Chuck relives a childhood memory; Serena & Nate show up and wait with Chuck and Dan for Blair to wake up... if she ever wakes up.**


	12. 3x12: Death & All His Friends

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay, but here it is! I hope you enjoy it. I should be updating again very soon, just need to write the ending for the next chapter! Anyway, thanks for all your reviews again, they mean so much (L)!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl, but I've started calling my friend Charlie 'Chuck'.**

3x12 Death and All His Friends

_It was Blair's 15__th__ birthday party when Chuck found out what was happening. Not that he hadn't suspected something was wrong before, he'd just been too drunk or high to do something about it. Tonight, however, was different. Nate was there, of course, but he was with Serena smoking some hash, so Chuck had decided to do something he'd never done before: keep an eye on Blair. It wasn't because he couldn't stop thinking about her – no – it was because her boyfriend wasn't acting like much of a boyfriend tonight. That's all. _

_So when Chuck walked into Blair's bedroom without knocking, he tried not to be too disappointed that he hadn't caught her in the midst of undressing- he was Chuck Bass, after all. In fact, Blair was not in her bedroom, despite Chuck watching her enter the room, so he decided to check her ensuite bathroom. When he turned the doorknob however, he noted that it was locked._

"_Waldorf?" He shouted through the door, but he didn't get a reply straight away. He waited for a few moments and then began to turn away – perhaps he had been seeing things and she was downstairs at the party still. But when he removed his hand from the doorknob, he heard shuffling in the room and the door opened, to reveal Blair. She looked as though she'd been crying, and Chuck noticed a look in her eyes – guilt, __**shame. **__He didn't like to admit it to anyone but her, but he did know Blair quite well, in fact she was one of his only friends, always had been, since they were youngsters._

"_What do you want Chuck? Shouldn't you be downstairs with some girl getting drunk and high?" Blair asked, putting on her cold front, but Chuck saw straight through it and ignored her question._

"_Blair what were you doing in the bathroom?" Chuck asked, using her first name to show concern._

"_Nothing Chuck." Blair replied, but her voice was barely above a whisper. _

_Chuck grabbed her harshly – but still gentle – and dragged her towards the bed. She didn't even try to protest; she was too weak after what she'd just done and she knew that Chuck would get the information out of her anyway. He always had, ever since they were 6 and she wouldn't tell him her name, he'd pleaded and blackmailed until she told him, and he hadn't forgotten it since._

"_Tell me, Blair." His voice came out softer than he intended, and if you didn't know that it was Chuck Bass, you'd think it was almost caring._

"_Nate... he was with Serena and I..." Blair began, but stopped to quickly wipe the tears that kept spilling from her eyes. Chuck just looked at her, not really knowing what to do._

"_I just wanted to feel in control of something... I couldn't... Couldn't control Nate." Blair said, and suddenly Chuck knew. Everything made sense now, and his stomach turned as he realised what Blair had been doing in the bathroom._

"_Blair, did you make yourself sick?" Chuck asked, trying not to sound harsh but he just had to know for sure._

_Blair didn't reply though, she just started crying more and buried her face in her hands. _

"_Please don't tell anyone, Chuck." Blair mumbled, and Chuck was taken aback. It wasn't like Blair to beg for anything, she was pretty much the most popular – and bitchiest – girl in school; she never had to beg for anything._

"_I won't Blair. I won't." Chuck said, and then got up from the bed to leave her in peace. He just hoped that she wouldn't do it again._

Chuck awoke from his nap to feel a small tapping on his shoulder. He lifted his head to see who had interrupted his dream/memory.

"Charles." Eleanor greeted coolly; she'd grown to like Chuck, but she still hadn't completely forgiven him for hurting Blair over and over last year.

Then Chuck remembered. _Blair. _They were in the hospital.

The doctor had told him that Blair had been purging again, and it had made her heart weaker. Chuck had said that he thought she'd given up years ago – because when Serena left for boarding school 3 years ago, Chuck had made her promise she wouldn't purge anymore, and she had agreed. The doctor had told him that Blair had been purging for a few weeks now, sometimes 3 times a day.

_How could I not notice it?_

"How is she?" Eleanor asked as she took a seat next to Chuck in the waiting room. The room was empty apart from Chuck; Dan had left a few hours ago after receiving a thank you from Chuck for bringing Blair in.

"I don't know, Eleanor." Chuck said, his voice pained, and Eleanor nodded. They wouldn't let anyone see Blair because they were running some tests on her; she still hadn't awoken.

"She'll be ok, Charles." Eleanor said, more to herself than Chuck. She couldn't help but think that it was her fault that this had happened to Blair; she blamed herself for Blair gaining her condition in the first place, but their relationship had come a long way in the past couple of years, and Eleanor _did _love her daughter dearly.

Eleanor also knew that Chuck blamed himself. Anyone could tell that by the way he looked. His eyes were bloodshot and though he'd deny it to anyone, Eleanor knew he'd been crying. The one thing he wasn't doing, however, was drinking. He'd tried to swig some scotch from his small bottle in his jacket, but one of the nurses had told him off for it, and he didn't want to risk being thrown out of the hospital.

He needed to make sure his Blair was ok.

"I'm going to call Cyrus, call me if anything changes." Eleanor asked as she rose from her seat, and Chuck nodded. He knew how highly Cyrus though of Blair and knew that he'd want to be here.

As Eleanor left, Chuck glanced at his watch. 6pm. She'd been here hours now. _Hours. _She hadn't woken up.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Ten minutes later, Eleanor still hadn't returned, he was just about to take out his phone and call her, when he heard two sets of footsteps walking towards him.

"What are you doing here?" Chuck said harshly, knowing for a fact Blair wouldn't want them there. Well, she might want Nate there because they were still friends, but Chuck was still holding a grudge against Nate for their argument on Christmas Day. Chuck also knew that Blair would _not _want Serena there. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but Chuck knew from the way Blair acted on Christmas that it was not good.

"Dan called me... he doesn't usually he just... he thought I should be here, and I was with Nate when he called so..." Serena began, walking over to Chuck, and sat down next to him. Chuck didn't move towards her, but he didn't move away either. Serena was still his sister, and he sort of respected that she'd come to the hospital to see Blair even though they weren't on good terms.

"Chuck, listen man... I wanted to apolo" Nate began, but Chuck cut him off icily.

"Save it, Nate. You can stay. Blair would probably want you here anyway. I just need to think things through first." Chuck said, and sunk further into his seat. He was still angry at Nate, and the dream he had only intensified his anger. If Nate hadn't been so in love with Serena all those years ago, Blair wouldn't have become Bulimic in the first place, and then she might not have....

No.

It wasn't Nate's fault now, Blair wasn't Nate's responsibility anymore, she was _his. His Blair. _He was the one who'd failed, not Nate.

Serena seemed to read his thoughts and realised he was feeling guilty, so she gently – and almost awkwardly – put her hand on his. She'd half expected Chuck to snatch his hand away with a snide remark, but he held her hand a little tighter, and she smiled at Nate, who was leaning on the wall at the other side of the room.

Chuck sucked in a deep breath, and stood up.

"Nathaniel." Chuck began, and Nate smiled instantly when he heard Chuck use his full name. He was the only one who used his full first name – even his parents and teachers at Columbia called him Nate. "Thank you, for coming here." Chuck said, and Nate nodded. He hoped – no, he knew – that somehow things would be ok between them. They always were. They'd been friends since they were five years old, when Nate was forced to play with the young suit clad boy. He'd never truly understood Chuck – something that Blair could do quite easily, but he'd always been his best friend, and he truly did care about Chuck.

Nate was about to reply, but a doctor emerged from Blair's room and approached the three friends, who looked up at him in anticipation.

"Miss Waldorf is awake, you may see her now."

Chuck let out a sigh of relief, then practically sprinted for the room. He thought that he should call Eleanor first to see where she was, but in truth, Chuck wanted to see Blair first. No, he _needed _to see Blair first, to make sure she was ok, to make sure the damage wasn't permanent.

_To make sure he hadn't damaged her._

He entered the room, and was shocked by Blair's appearance. How had he not noticed how thin she was getting? How pale she was? How gaunt her usual radiant face looked? Chuck already knew the answer though. He'd neglected her. He'd been working too hard, too long. He'd failed to see the effect it would have on his relationship with Blair, and now she'd done this to herself. It _was _his fault. He was sure of it.

Blair opened her eyes slowly to look at him, and she smiled slightly. She'd thought he wouldn't come, thought he'd be busy at work. But he'd come to see her, come to save her.

"Chuck." She whispered, and he walked towards her slowly. His eyes were still bloodshot, and Blair knew instantly that he'd been crying. Her heart broke. She hadn't meant to cause him pain, she hadn't meant to let it get this far.

"Blair, I... I'm so sorry." Chuck choked out, and he closed his eyes to stop the tears from falling. He thought that Blair would hate him, hate him for neglecting her, and hate him for putting her in hospital. So when she reached out to grab his hand, he sucked in a breath, shocked. He opened his eyes, and Blair was staring up at him.

"You weren't there, Chuck." Blair answered Chuck's silent question of why she'd done this, and at her response, Chuck's heart broke. No matter what she said, it _was _his fault. He felt himself breaking down in self loathing, but he couldn't.

"This isn't your fault, Chuck, it's mine." Blair said, trying to comfort Chuck. He seemed unconvinced at first, so set on it being his fault, but when he saw the truth in her eyes, he nodded slowly.

"We'll get through this, Blair." Chuck promised, and Blair never felt safer in her life. It was as though with those few words Chuck could make her forget about all the pain of the last few weeks and focus on getting better.

She _needed_ to get better.

"Nate is here to see you... and Serena is, too." Chuck said, trying to change the conversation, and when he mentioned Serena's name, Blair stiffened.

"I can't see her." Blair whispered, although she desperately wanted to. She missed her best friend so much.

"Blair, you want to, I know you do." Chuck mumbled as he stroked her arm, and Blair nodded. Chuck knew her too well; she couldn't lie to him.

"Ok." Blair said, and already she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck had left the room 5 minutes later, and he'd sent Serena in. Serena had been a little nervous at first; she'd told Blair she'd given up on her. But it was in the heat of the moment. Serena didn't really mean it; in fact she was missing Blair so much. She regretted not persisting with Blair; she knew how stubborn she could be. She was here now though, ready to let Blair know that she loved her and that she _hadn't _given up on her, and that she was here to help Blair get through this, like she had so many times before.

Serena wasn't stupid, she didn't need Chuck or any doctors to tell her what had happened. Serena had helped Blair so many times before when she'd been in this situation, and when Dan had called her – a shock to them both as they weren't on great terms – saying Blair had fainted, Serena instantly knew that Blair had made herself sick again.

Taking a deep breath, Serena entered the room, hoping Blair was as ready as she was to heal their relationship.

"S." Blair said, and tears began to well up in her eyes as she realised that Serena had really come to see her in hospital, that she _did _care.

"B, I'm so sorry." Serena gasped as she rushed towards Blair, tears beginning to fall.

"What for? It's not your fault I'm like this." Blair almost joked, but Serena didn't laugh.

"I'm sorry for saying that I gave up on you." Serena said, and Blair reached her arm up to stroke her best friend's hair. She wanted to hug her, but she was too weak to sit up properly at the moment.

"I'm sorry for saying all those horrible things to you, when you were probably hurting about your dad." Blair said, and Serena smiled a little.

They sat in silence for a little while, letting the tears fall. _Things are going to be Ok, _Serena thought. _Perhaps time really does heal all wounds._

A while later, Serena exited the room to let Blair sleep a little more, and found Chuck asleep outside also. She smiled at her brother, and went to join him. She wouldn't leave Blair again. Ever.

**Up Next: Is this really the end of Blair's troubles? & why is that nurse suddenly looking very familiar to everyone? Oh dear...**


	13. 3x13: Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

**A/N: I know this chapter is really short... but I wanted to leave it where I've left it just to tease you guys :) Next update will be up _very _soon. I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl and I don't own fabulous writing skills either...**

3x13 Ain't No Rest For The Wicked

Chuck awoke some time later to fine Serena asleep on one shoulder and Nate asleep on the other. No wonder his back hurt. He glanced at his watch to find that it was 6am; he'd been asleep for a while. Luckily he didn't have to go into work today; he'd called in last night saying he wasn't going in until Blair was out of hospital and safe.

He decided he would check on Blair, so he got up from his seat – trying not to wake the sleeping beauties – and entered her room. She wasn't awake – Chuck figured she hadn't been getting much sleep - but a nurse was stood near her bed, changing her medicine. Chuck coughed to get her attention.

"Is she ok?" Chuck murmured, still recovering from sleep.

The nurse paused in what she was doing, but didn't turn around to face him.

"I don't know Chucky, I'm not a nurse."

Chuck froze.

He knew that voice.

_Georgina Sparks._

"Georgina!" He shouted, hoping the two blondes outside the door would hear him. Sure enough, Nate and Serena barged through the door to see what the fuss was. By this time, Georgina had turned around and her devilish smile was on show.

"Oh, hi guys, I was just fixing B up with some new medicine. How nice of you to join us!" Georgina smirked as she nodded to Serena and Nate. By this point, Chuck looked ready to rip Georgina's head off. There was no way Georgina was a qualified nurse, and there was nothing Georgina liked more than revenge. Whatever medicine she just gave Blair can't have been good.

"Georgina... what are you doing here?" Serena asked, hesitantly taking a step towards her. She hadn't seen Georgina since they enlisted her help to take down Poppy, and because Serena had been away she wasn't aware that Georgina was Blair's assigned roommate for a while.

"I'm just making sure Blair here knows that even though she ruined my chances of having an education, I'm still doing well. Which is more than I can say for her." She laughed, and Chuck was about to take a step towards her, but Nate put a hand on his shoulder.

"Georgina, tell me what you gave Blair **right now." **Chuck said, in his "don't mess with me" tone, and Georgina almost looked scared, before she realised she was the one in charge of the situation. She hadn't meant to get caught by Chuck or Nate or Serena, but now that she had, she could at least gloat for a while.

"Oh... Just a little something to keep her asleep for a _very _long time. You know she needs her beauty sleep!" Georgina giggled a little at her joke, and the three friends saw red.

"Nurse! Nurse!" Serena shouted as she rushed out of the room, and Georgina suddenly stopped. She had hoped she'd be out of the room early enough so she wouldn't be caught; her plan was backfiring.

Chuck began walking towards Georgina and roughly grabbed her shoulders. Usually he wouldn't hurt a girl like this, but Georgina deserved it; she could have killed Blair for all he knew. _Blair. _The only girl Chuck had ever loved, and Georgina could have killed her.

"Why are you doing this, Georgina?" Chuck tried to sound fearsome, but Georgina sensed his sadness and smirked.

"Revenge is best served cold, which is what Blair's body is going to be in... oh, about 10 minutes." Georgina said, he face contorting as she laughed. Nate stood back behind Chuck, taking in her expression. She looked crazy, crazier than she did when she went after Poppy, crazier than she ever did when she went out drinking with Serena. He was scared, almost as scared as Chuck. They'd both heard from Serena what Georgina could be capable of when revenge was on her mind.

Before Chuck could reply or hit Georgina – which Nate feared he was about to do – a doctor and a nurse rushed into the room behind Serena, confusion on their face as they took in the scene before them.

"Who are you?" The doctor asked, walking towards Georgina.

"I..." Georgina started to reply, becoming nervous, and Chuck dropped his hands from her shoulders to give her a chance to come up with a lie.

"Are you a qualified nurse?" The doctor asked again, and Georgina took in a breath.

"No, I..." Georgina began, and Chuck inwardly smirked despite the situation. He'd thought Georgina was good at this, making up a story, lying. Hell, she'd somehow managed to get in here wearing a nurse's uniform! Georgina never ceased to amaze Chuck. How had she even known Blair was in the hospital? Unless Dan had told her... Chuck stopped himself. Dan and Georgina? He was going to need therapy after _that _thought.

"She gave Blair some sort of fluid that would..." But Chuck couldn't carry on as Blair's machine started beeping louder and louder.

"What's happening?" Serena intercepted, worried, and looked to Nate for comfort, but he'd already gone from the room.

"You need to leave." The nurse said to Chuck, Serena and Georgina, and she escorted them out of the room. Chuck wouldn't move at first – the pain of seeing Blair like that broke his heart – so Serena had to drag him out.

When they walked out of the room, they ran straight into Nate. But not just Nate, Nate and 2 police officers. Chuck didn't even realise what was happening until he saw Georgina cuffed.

"You can't do this." Georgina protested, seething.

The police officers didn't say anything, just nodded to Nate and took Georgina down the hall. Chuck let out a sigh of relief and sat down. Behind bars is _exactly _where that witch belonged, away from Blair, away from Serena, away from all of his friends. Chuck was going to make sure she never got out of jail if it meant Blair was safe.

"Nathaniel" Chuck began, his voice thick with pain. Nate moved a little closer to him, though he didn't sit down.

"Thank you for calling the cops." Chuck said, and Nate smiled and put his hand on his friend's shoulder. He didn't know what made him think of it, but Nate knew that if he didn't call the police then, Georgina would get away free and come back again and again until they were all gone. He hated Georgina for what she'd already done to Serena, and now that she'd tried to kill Blair he hated her probably as much as Chuck did.

"Where's Eleanor?" Nate asked, assuming the ever-controlling mother would want to be here with Blair.

"She called earlier, before..." Chuck didn't want to mention what had just happened. "She said she's just finishing up something at work and she'd be here soon."

Nate and Serena nodded, and exchanged a glance. They were both worried; not just for Blair's health, but for Chuck's, too.

"Chuck, she's going to be ok." Serena said softly, trying to convince herself as well as her brother, but Chuck didn't want to be comforted. He stood up sharply, and ran his hands through his hair.

"Everyone I love." He muttered, as he began pacing. Serena and Nate exchanged a confused glance, but didn't interrupt Chuck.

"Everyone I love gets taken." He continued. "It's my fault."

Serena looked up at Chuck and if she didn't know him any better she could've swore she saw tears in his eyes.

"Chuck, this isn't your fault. It's Georgina's. Please... Please don't blame yourself, you know Blair doesn't blame you." Serena reasoned, but Chuck was still pacing.

"**I blame me, **if anything happens to her now... I'll never forgive myself." Chuck said, closing his eyes to fight the tears. Serena understood how hard this must be for him, as did Nate. They knew that Chuck hated showing his emotions; he liked to appear calm, in control.

They also knew that Blair was the exception to Chuck's rule.

They stood around in silence as more doctors rushed in, all scared of what might happen. What if Blair _did _die? Nate would lose a lifelong friend, who – although he wasn't in love with her - he did _love, _and he didn't want a life without her. Serena had only just made up with her lifelong best friend - they hadn't even had a chance to properly catch up yet – and she might have been taken from her already. Neither of them wanted to think about how Chuck would react if Blair died though. They saw how he acted when his father died – nobody wanted a replay of _that. _

The doctor who Serena had first brought to Blair's room opened the door, and the three friends held a breath as they awaited the news.

**Up Next: I'm not going to give ANYTHING away. But come on, be honest, our Queen's a tough cookie!**


	14. 3x14: Love You Better

**A/N: Longish Chapter because I won't be updating for a couple of days. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I promise it's the last of the angsty ones! Next chapter is fluffffffy. Also, I hope this chapter clears up some of the Serena/Blair issues for you guys. Also, I am a MAJOR Carter/Serena shipper but I just don't think they fit with my story. Sorry! EnjoyEnjoyEnjoy and Review :-)!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl. Boohoo.**

3x14 Love You Better

_Serena thought back to the voicemail she'd listened to every day when she was away with Carter. It was a message from Blair, and she'd received it as soon as she'd got to Fiji. Serena assumed she'd sent it when she was on the plane._

"_Hey S, It's me... Chuck stop it! I'm leaving Serena a message!" Blair giggled, and Chuck's voice could be heard in the background saying "You'll see her soon, Waldorf." _

Serena couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

"_So, S, I know you're on a plane to Spain or something right now, but Chuck came back! And he loves me, S! He told me so!" Blair gushed, and Chuck's groaning could be heard in the background. "Who would believe I'd choose Chuck to be my prince?" Chuck could be heard arguing in the background going "Hey!" to Blair's statement._

"_Anyway S, call me when you land, Enjoy Europe!" and Blair hung up._

_Serena never did call back though, she just texted Blair saying she'd gone away with Carter and that she'd speak to her soon._

Serena wished she'd called Blair every day when she was away, instead of letting Carter romance her, persuade her to chuck her phone in the ocean and then leave her abandoned in a hotel in Fiji. Not that Serena could complain too much, she'd done the same thing to Carter in Santorini a few years before.

What if she never got to talk to Blair again? She'd never have a chance to explain why she never called.

"She's stable." The doctor said, and the three friends took a sigh of relief. Blair was going to be ok.

"Is she... awake?" Nate asked, as Chuck was still too shocked to speak.

"No, not yet, but we predict she will be soon. The drug she was given was mostly blocked by the medication she is currently on, so that's lucky, but we're going to keep her here for a few days to monitor her. We just need to talk to her parents about a nutrition plan for her; do you know where I can find her parents?" The doctor asked, but before anyone could reply, a loud, business-like voice sounded from down the corridor.

"That's me. Eleanor Rose." Eleanor said, and she extended her hand to the doctor. Chuck couldn't help but think that if this had happened 3 years ago, Eleanor wouldn't be here; it was only recently that Blair and her mother had grown close.

"Right, excellent. Now, I need to discuss Blair's future meal plan, it's vital for her if she wants to overcome her problem." The doctor began, but stopped when Eleanor looked confused.

"Blair's problem?" Eleanor asked. Surely he didn't mean what she thought he meant!

"Mrs Rose, you are aware that your daughter is bulimic?" The doctor asked, looking at Chuck for back up, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Chuck didn't know that Blair had been making herself sick again, and he lived with Blair! So why would Eleanor know if he didn't?

"Doctor, I think there's been a mistake... My daughter _was _bulimic some time ago..." Eleanor shivered as she remembered Blair's awful condition. "But that is no longer the case. Right, Charles?" Eleanor looked to Chuck, who suddenly became interested in something on the floor.

"Eleanor..." Serena began, and Eleanor turned to look at the blonde. "The doctor says that Blair has been making herself sick again, and _that's _why she fainted."

Eleanor looked at Chuck _more like glared, _but Chuck couldn't meet her eyes. He felt guilty. He'd persuaded Eleanor to let Blair live with him and he couldn't even look after her properly! Eleanor was going to hate him forever now, as well as Blair... and himself.

"I'm sorry Eleanor... I..." Chuck began, while Serena and Nate looked at him in shock. Chuck rarely apologised. Only ever to Blair, and even then it was after much seduction on Blair's part. Eleanor just shrugged it off though.

"It's fine, Charles. Let's just get Blair better." She said, putting on her cold business-like front, and Chuck nodded. Getting Blair better was his top priority too.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Two hours later, and only Eleanor, Chuck and Serena remained. Nate had wanted to stay, but he had an important exam to take, so he told Serena to call him when she woke up. Now Chuck was stood outside her door; he was too scared to sit down in case he fell asleep and missed Blair waking up. Serena was sat down on her phone, mostly texting Dan too see just _how _Georgina found out Blair was in the hospital. Eleanor was on the phone to Cyrus, and Chuck noticed how much more relaxed she seemed when she heard Cyrus' voice.

The three of them didn't notice when a nurse emerged from Blair's room – _not _Georgina this time – and approached Chuck.

"She's awake now, again." The nurse said, and Chuck nodded. He was happy, yes, but he wasn't sure if Blair would be happy with him. Maybe she wouldn't even remember what had happened with Georgina; she _had _been asleep when Georgina drugged her.

He looked at Eleanor, but she'd gone down the hall, still talking to Cyrus on her phone. Serena was staring up at him, however, motioning for him to go into the room. So he did.

Blair looked up at him instantly and smiled, but then took in his nervous expression.

"What's up, Bass? Plan to kill me backfire?" Blair joked, but Chuck didn't laugh, he didn't even approach her bed, just stood with his back against the far wall, the same thought running through his mind: _she needs to be with Eleanor. I can't protect her._

"Chuck, what's the matter?" Blair said, becoming serious. The last time Chuck had come in, everything had been fine between them. What had happened?

"I failed." Chuck said, more to himself than to Blair, and Blair looked at him with a confused expression.

"What do you mean you failed? Chuck?" Blair was asking, but Chuck couldn't look at her. He didn't want to see her weak, see what he'd caused to happen. He walked out of the room, and straight into Serena.

"Chuck? What's going on? Where are you going?" Serena asked him, trying to look behind Chuck's body into Blair's room.

"Serena just do me a favour ok? Don't tell Blair or Eleanor what happened. They don't need to know." Chuck muttered, and began walking away.

"She was drugged Chuck! I think she deserves to know!" Serena shouted, but Chuck was already down the hall. Serena cringed when she noticed that the door to Blair's room was still open; she had most likely heard what she'd just shouted. Luckily for her, Eleanor had already left to sort some business out. _Now she just had to explain to Blair what Chuck couldn't._

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Before Chuck realised where he was going, he found himself walking out of the elevator into the van-der-bass-soon-to-be-Humphrey penthouse. He hadn't brought the limo with him; he'd hoped that a long walk would help him clear his mind and figure out what he could say to Blair, how to apologise to her for not being able to protect her, but it hadn't. He felt just as messed up as he did when he was in Blair's room at the hospital.

"Chuck?" A voice sounded, and Chuck let out a sigh of relief. Eric was here.

Eric always helped Chuck out of bad situations, and sometimes Chuck thought that Eric was more like the older brother of the two; the wiser one. Eric was always the one who gave Chuck advice, and Chuck was glad he had someone else other than Nate to talk to, because, let's face it, Nate was a little slow.

"Are you ok?" Eric asked when he didn't get a reply, and Chuck shook his head.

"I can't face Blair." Chuck admitted, as he sat down in the living area. Eric nodded.

"Stop me if I'm wrong, but haven't you had this problem before?" Eric said, and Chuck scowled as he remembered the talk he had with Eric before he went to Europe in May, after Blair had asked him to tell him he loved her and he couldn't do it. Eric had helped him overcome his fears, helped him realise that he was just scared of hurting Blair whereas he was hurting her more by _not _telling her he loved her.

"I failed to protect her. She's going to hate me." Chuck said sadly, and Eric laughed.

"Chuck, that's silly. Blair loves you, everyone knows that." Eric said, sitting down across from Chuck.

"She's going to hate me when she finds out what Georgina did. I was supposed to protect her, Eric. I was supposed to be her knight for once." Chuck mumbled, fighting tears once again.

"Chuck, when Blair chose you she didn't expect you to be a charming prince, if she wanted that she would be with Nate right now..." Eric stopped when Chuck scowled. "She chose you because she loves you, not because she wants you to protect her all the time. I mean come on, you know Blair; she's tough enough on her own." Eric laughed a little as he thought of some of Blair's bitchy schemes, and he noticed Chuck's lips turn up slightly as he thought about what Eric was saying.

When Chuck didn't say anything, Eric continued.

"Just go and see her Chuck, explain what happened, and I guarantee she won't be mad at you, she'll probably be thankful that you caught Georgina when you did."

Chuck hadn't thought about that. He _had _been the one to find Georgina in Blair's room. Granted, he hadn't been the one to call the cops, and he _hadn't _been the one to get the doctor to help Blair, but he _did _find Georgina.

He needed to see Blair.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"So you're saying Whoregina tried to kill me?" Blair asked sceptically as Serena held her hand. She couldn't believe Georgina would go _that _far, but she still couldn't understand why Chuck had run away. According to Serena, he'd been the one who found Georgina, and in Blair's eyes that made him a hero.

"She's been arrested B, don't worry." Serena comforted her best friend, squeezing her hand as Blair took in the information.

"Does my mother know?" Blair asked, hoping Eleanor didn't know. The situation had already been handled, and Blair didn't want her mother to get involved and cause a bigger scene.

"No, she left a while ago." Serena replied, and Blair nodded. The two sat in silence as Blair thought about what she could say to Chuck to convince him she loved him and that she was glad he found Georgina when he did.

The two girls were interrupted a while later by a light knocking on the door, as Chuck stood there in his signature purple suit. Blair couldn't help but smile. He looked normal, it was comforting.

"Serena, could you give us a minute?" Chuck asked, and Serena stood up, smiling at Blair.

"Sure, I should call Nate and tell him you're awake." Serena said, exiting the room.

Chuck approached Blair slowly, still a little nervous, but most of his fears of Blair hating him had vanished after his talk with Eric. He was really going to have to get his little brother a gift.

"Chuck, Serena told me what happened." Blair said, and motioned for him to come and sit on the bed.

"I thought she would." Chuck nodded, and Blair reached up to touch his cheek.

"I'm so glad you found Georgina before she hurt someone else, Chuck." Blair whispered as Chuck closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.

"I couldn't protect you Blair." Chuck choked out, and Blair shook her head and sat up to kiss him. He didn't respond, so Blair pulled back.

"Bass, I love you. You _did _protect me, Serena said you were here all night and _you were the one who found Whoregina._" Blair said, and she kissed him again. This time, Chuck responded. When Blair pulled away, a laugh escaped Chuck's lips.

"Good to know a brush with death didn't deter your kissing skills." Chuck said, then shook his head. "It's probably a little early to joke about that." Blair just laughed and kissed him again, glad that she was able to convince him that she still loved him, more than anything.

"When do I get out of here?" Blair groaned, laying back down on the uncomfortable bed as Chuck put his arm around her laughing.

"I know you want me Waldorf but we have to wait for the doctor to give you the all clear." Chuck said, and Blair rolled her eyes.

"But you're _Chuck Bass. _Go bribe them. I want out of this hospi-_hole._" Blair groaned and Chuck leaned down to kiss her lips.

"I'll see what I can do..."

**Up Next: Blair gets to go home and the Non-Judging breakfast club become the Non-Judging movie club as Blair is put on bedrest...**


	15. 3x15: Halfway Home

**A/N: Happy Chapter! Woo! Because the ANGST is finally over and done with for a couple of chapters! :-) Sorry this is a little bit later than promised, I was really ill over the weekend and so didn't come online! Next chapter will be up very soon though!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl or The Dark Knight. nananananananana BATMAN!**

3x15 Halfway Home

Blair had been let out of the hospital 3 days later, due to much of Chuck's bribery and sweet-talking of hospital staff. Eleanor wanted Blair to come home with her, but Chuck had eventually managed to persuade her that Blair would be better off with him.

Blair couldn't argue with that.

One of the terms that Blair had had to agree to however, was that she'd see a doctor about her problem once a week, and Chuck said that if she didn't go that he was going to pick her up and drag her there himself.

Blair couldn't argue with that.

Chuck meant what he said when he'd told Eleanor he would look after Blair, and he had spent a lot of time working from home, taking calls while making sure Blair had everything she needed. His work was beginning to build up, but he still refused to go to the office for more than 3 hours a day.

Blair _could _argue with that.

"Chuck, look at me, I'm absolutely fine." Blair protested as Chuck was picking out a tie to wear.

"You look awfully delectable like that Blair but I meant what I said, I'm only going to the office for a couple of hours." Chuck paused when Blair scowled. "Anyone would think you were trying to get rid of me." He winked, and Blair smirked.

"My other boyfriend doesn't have time to come around when you're always here." Blair joked, but Chuck still gave Blair a death glare.

"I'm fine Bass, stop worrying all the time. If you need to stay at work, don't feel pressured to come home." Blair tried reasoning with him, but Chuck wouldn't budge. His work was part of what caused her problem to resurface in the first place, and he was determined not to let it happen again.

"Waldorf, I'm managing. _You're _the one who's worrying, and the doctor told me not to get you stressed. Now, did you take your tablets?" Chuck said as he reached for his suit jacket.

"Yes, Doctor..." Blair said suggestively, and Chuck closed his eyes as a sexual fantasy of his played out. He was interrupted though when Blair threw a pillow at his head from where she lay on the bed. Chuck walked over to her and kissed her softly.

"You're beautiful." Chuck mumbled against her lips, and Blair shoved him away and rolled her eyes.

"Stop trying to get into my pants, Bass, you said you were going to work."

"Been there, done that, Waldorf. Twice this morning, to be exact..." Chuck trailed off as he checked his watch. "But you're right. I have to go. Remember Nathaniel and Serena are coming around tonight!" Chuck said as he walked out of the door, and Blair groaned. She had completely forgotten about tonight. Serena had invited herself around so she and Blair could spend some time together (because they went to different schools now), and when Chuck had heard about the girls night he had started complaining, so he invited Nate too.

Blair dragged herself up out of the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. She didn't look at the toilet. She _didn't. _In truth, she hadn't wanted to let her condition get that far again. She felt bad for putting Chuck and everyone else through so much pain; she didn't want it to happen again. For once, when Blair had told Chuck she was fine, she meant it.

Plus, she had the doctor's appointments once a week. Blair was a little hesitant to agree to the sessions at first – she didn't like telling strangers everything that was wrong with her life, she wasn't a needy, weak little girl. But then she remembered how much the sessions helped her when she had the problem before, and she agreed to them. Her first one was two days from now, and though she was a little nervous, she was also determined. She knew it was necessary if she wanted to overcome her bulimia.

Blair picked out a simple emerald green dress to wear, and then went into the living area to do a little studying. The university had been notified of her situation, but Blair was determined to keep up with her studies even though she wasn't attending lectures. As soon as she opened her textbook though, her phone rang. She grimaced as she looked at the caller ID.

"Cabbage Patch, what do you want?" Blair asked, annoyed that her study time had been interrupted by _Dan Humphrey. _She did owe him one though; he _had _brought her to the hospital and stayed until Chuck came.

"Good morning to you too Blair, you haven't called me that in a while." Dan said in his almost-annoying voice.

"You didn't answer my question." Blair pointed out impatiently. She really _did _need to study.

"Call me crazy... but I... I just wondered how you were." Dan stuttered, and Blair rolled her eyes.

"As you can hear, I'm fine Humphrey." Blair scoffed.

"Well, good. I mean, I'm glad. Goodbye." Dan was about to hang up but Blair stopped him.

"Thank you, Dan." Blair said, but then shook her head at how nice to him she was being. She hung up, but found herself smiling. Perhaps he would be a good friend after all.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"B! You look so much better!" Serena exclaimed as she walked through the door of the suite. She was a little late as she'd gone to see her brother for a while, but she'd left as soon as her mother and Rufus came home as the sight of them kissing made her stomach sick.

"Are you suggesting I looked bad before?" Blair laughed as she brought the bowl of popcorn in from the kitchen and sat between Chuck and Nate on the sofa. Serena just rolled her eyes in a child-like manner and sat on the floor near Nate.

"Blair, I could've brought that in for you." Chuck said, taking the bowl of popcorn from her.

"I'm not a cripple, Bass." Blair argued, and Nate and Serena laughed as Chuck scowled.

"Your flexibility this morning certainly proved that, _Waldorf." _Chuck drawled, and Blair's expression turned to one of horror as she threw popcorn at him, while Serena and Nate covered their ears.

"Chuck! I did not come here to listen to _that! _My roommate is bad enough with the different guys every night!" Serena complained and Blair stroked her hair.

"The dorms still that bad at Columbia?" Blair asked, and Serena nodded. Her roommate was into drugs and to say she was worse than Georgina would be an understatement.

"You could always live with Nathaniel." Chuck mused, and Nate looked horrified.

"Nate lives in a one bedroomed apartment." Blair said, matter-of-factly. She should know, she was about to move in there at one point last year.

"I don't think Nathaniel would mind." Chuck argued, and the four of them looked away as they remembered what happened between Nate and Serena all those years ago. Chuck was convinced that Nate still loved Serena after all this time, but Nate wasn't so sure himself. Surely Serena didn't still love him, either? She'd moved on with Dan quick enough.

"So! What movie are we going to watch?" Blair said in an attempt to change the subject, and the other three were glad that the tension was dropped. What happened between Serena and Nate may have been a long time ago, but it still hurt a little bit.

"You can choose, B!" Serena said happily, laughing like a child. Chuck smiled at his sister; her happiness was contagious.

"As long as we don't watch breakfast at tiffany's." Nate grumbled, and Chuck scoffed.

"Amen." He said.

Blair scowled at the two of them and expected Serena to back her up, but she was looking away. The truth was, Blair had made the three of them watch Breakfast at Tiffany's many, many times. She and Serena watched it every Sunday morning before brunch, she made Nate watch it practically every week when they were dating, and last summer when she and Chuck had gotten together they watched it nearly every morning wrapped around eachother in bed.

"Fine, I won't choose. Bass, you're up." Blair said, sitting back down again and grabbing the popcorn. Chuck sighed and put down his glass of scotch, then walked over to the dvd player and put a dvd in. The four settled down to watch the movie; Blair leaning on Chuck's shoulder as he kissed her hair, and Serena sitting with her back leaning against Nate's legs.

"Why are we watching the Dark Knight?" Nate questioned, looking at Chuck. Chuck just shrugged, however.

"Heath Ledger makes me weak at the knees?" Chuck tried, smirking. He was rewarded with an eye-roll from Nate and Serena and a jab in the ribs from Blair.

"Please." Blair began. "You only like it because Batman is all dark and brooding like you."

Chuck scoffed. "You would be too if you lost the girl to that pompous ass." He said, gesturing towards the TV where Harvey Dent took Rachel Dawes on a date.

Both Blair and Nate looked up at Chuck as he said the words, realising there was a deeper meaning to what he was saying. Chuck had lost Blair twice, to Nate, and although he hated to admit it, it had broken his heart.

Nate had gotten over it all though; he'd broken up with Blair quite a while ago now, and was now casually dating a couple of girls. Blair and Chuck were obviously together, and Blair knew that Chuck still felt as though he had to 'measure up' to Nate, but Blair loved Chuck for exactly who he was, and didn't want him to change.

Blair turned around and kissed a line from Chuck's cheek and along his jaw, then kissed his lips. Chuck reached up and grabbed her arms and pulled her down on top of him, causing Blair to squeal.

"Guys! Please! You two are disgusting!" Serena groaned, and Nate put his hand on her shoulder in agreement.

Blair laughed and nestled back into Chuck's embrace to watch the rest of the movie. When it was over, the four of them stood up.

"I should probably be going." Yawned Serena, and Nate nodded in agreement. Blair reached up to hug her friend.

"It's late, you guys can stay here if you want." Blair offered, but Serena jumped out of the embrace instantly and shook her head.

"And listen to you two have sex all night? No _thank you._" Serena said, crinkling her nose in disgust, and Nate laughed in agreement.

"Yeah we'll see you guys later." Nate said as he and Serena walked out of the door, and Chuck waved goodbye, closing it behind them. He walked over to where Blair was laid on the sofa.

"I'm tired." Blair complained, closing her eyes. Chuck laughed in a low tone, but didn't reply. Instead, he picked her up bridal-style and brought her to bed. Blair cuddled up to him instantly, falling asleep with a smile on her face.

**Up Next: A dinner at the Waldorf-Rose's? How will Chuck cope? Plus Chuck finds someone in his suite who _does not belong this side of the bridge._**


	16. 3x16: I'm Not Calling You A Liar

**A/N: Sorry this update is so late, I was away in Ireland last week visiting my family. I promise the updates will be more frequent from now on, because I have the rest of the story planned out. 3x24 will be the last one! :-) I'm thinking of starting a new story afterwards, but I haven't got many ideas yet.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl because I fail at life.**

3x16 I'm Not Calling You A Liar

"Blair, Charles, Lovely to see you!" Eleanor smiled a tight smile and both Blair and Chuck detected the fakeness in her voice.

"Hello Mother." Blair said, and signalled for Chuck to greet her mother also.

"Eleanor." Chuck nodded, but Eleanor scowled.

"Mrs Rose to you." She said firmly, and went in search of Cyrus. Blair giggled, and Chuck sighed.

"She's never going to like me, is she?" Chuck said, and Blair laughed.

"Nonsense, Bass. My mother doesn't like anyone." Blair laughed and leaned in to kiss Chuck, but Cyrus emerged from the kitchen and walked over to where the pair were standing. Blair smiled at Cyrus widely – she'd certainly grown to like him over the past year, and he'd given her good advice on many occasions.

"Blair! How are you feeling?" Cyrus said, concern in his tone as he looked Blair over. Blair just laughed, and rolled her eyes.

"I'm feeling a lot better. Still a little weak, but the doctor said I would be for a while." Chuck squeezed Blair's waist and held her to him as he smiled at her.

"Chuck, Good Evening!" Cyrus explained, but he didn't give him a hug. He'd done it in the past when Blair had first introduced him as her boyfriend, and Chuck had been so uncomfortable he hadn't wanted to return to the Waldorf-Rose home for months. Instead, Cyrus extended his hand, and Chuck let go of Blair for a moment to shake it.

"So, Blair, are you back at school yet?" Cyrus asked politely, and Blair shook her head.

"No, I'm returning in a few weeks. I've been making sure to keep up with assignments though." Blair responded enthusiastically, and Chuck smiled warmly at her.

"That's my girl! NYU should be proud to have you!" Cyrus exclaimed, sounding a little tipsy, and Blair blushed at the compliment. Chuck had been saying it to her ever since she started attending the school, but it felt nice to have someone else complimenting her.

"Dinner is ready, Miss Blair." Dorota said as she walked over to where the three of them were standing. She glared at Chuck – who had to hide a smile – and lead them to the table where Eleanor was already seated.

Cyrus sat down next to Eleanor, and Blair and Chuck took the seats across from them. Dorota served the first course, and Eleanor found this a perfect time to start grilling Chuck.

"So, Charles, have you been taking care of my daughter?" Eleanor asked, and Blair rolled her eyes and squeezed Chuck's hand.

"He's been taking perfectly good care of me, Mother." Blair answered for Chuck, and he smiled at her gratefully. It was certainly too early in the evening for an interrogation from Eleanor Waldorf.

"So you've not been working? If I remember correctly that was the reason Blair was in that condition in the first place." Eleanor said absent-mindedly as the three other guests at the table shot her a look. She hadn't realised what she was saying, and she really _didn't _mean to sound harsh, but she was still a little suspicious of Chuck, he'd hurt Blair many times before.

"Mother." Blair warned, but she avoided Chuck's eyes. Her mother wasn't technically lying, and Blair knew that it pained Chuck to know he was part of the cause of her relapse.

"It's fine, Blair." Chuck squeezed her hand, and Blair stopped. "I haven't been working as much as I was just after Christmas." Chuck said, and Blair smiled as her mother was rendered silent.

"The company is still very important to him though, you understand." Blair said, and Cyrus smiled and nodded.

"You've certainly got your head screwed on Chuck; I wish you success with the company." Cyrus offered, and Eleanor rolled her eyes at her Husband's niceties.

"Thank You, Sir, that means a lot." Chuck smiled a small smile.

"Sir! You make me feel old! Call me Cyrus, son." Cyrus laughed, but stopped when he saw Chuck tense. Blair noticed the error in Cyrus' words, and placed a hand on Chuck's knee comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean... I.." Cyrus began, but Chuck shook his head.

"It's fine, don't worry." He said, but only Blair noticed the forced calm in his voice.

Breaking the following silence, Eleanor called out: "Dorota! We need dessert!"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

The following day, Chuck left to go into work at 8:30am, and he hadn't wanted to wake Blair so he left a note saying he loved her. Usually he wouldn't be so sappy, but over the past few weeks he realised just how much he needed Blair in his life. With Valentines Day just a week away, he was determined to show Blair just how much she meant to him. What could he buy her though? He could ask Serena, but she would probably tell Blair what he was planning to buy her, and Nate was royally useless at thinking up gift ideas.

Blair awoke at 9am, just missing Chuck. She smiled as she read his note however, and in a very girl-in-love manner, she held the note close to her chest as she sighed happily. She got dressed quickly, and went into the living area of the suite she and Chuck shared to order room service.

Half an hour later, a knock came to the door, and – assuming it was room service – Blair shouted at them to come in. However, the visitor was not a member of the hotel staff.

"Cabbage Patch, I thought you were my bagels." Blair sighed, as she stood up in greeting. Dan just laughed.

"Unfortunately I don't come bearing breakfast treats, but I do come bearing your next assignment and reading list." Dan said, as he took some sheets of paper out of his bag.

"Wow, that was very... thoughtful of you Humphrey." Blair said, suspicion in her tone. "What do you want in return? Money? A job at Bass industries? Help getting Serena back?" Blair listed, but Dan shook his head.

"Serena is about to become my step-sister, remember?" Dan laughed, and though a part of him would probably always love Serena, he was trying to move on.

"So you need money?" Blair asked, sitting back down on the sofa and motioning for Dan to join her.

"Does everything have to be a deal with you?" Dan asked, and Blair looked up from her sheet.

"Force of Habit." Blair said, and Dan nodded.

"So are you feeling better?" Dan asked, and Blair smiled. Dan had been the one to bring her to the hospital and stayed with her until Chuck came, and though she wouldn't show it, she was very grateful. She was beginning to see Dan as a friend, which would come in handy when in school as Serena and Nate were both at Columbia.

"I'm still a little weak, but as I keep telling Chuck, I feel a little stronger every day." Blair replied, and Dan nodded.

"Glad to hear it. I better go, I have to meet Vanessa." Dan said, standing up. Blair rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, I forgot you were friends with the troll." Blair said, and Dan shook his head in exasperation.

"Why do you hate her so much?" Dan asked, wondering what could spur such hatred in Blair's eyes.

"She slept with Chuck." Blair said, but that was only half of the reason. One night last year after she and Chuck had gotten together, they had decided to be completely honest with eachother, and Chuck revealed he slept with Vanessa twice. It hurt Blair to know that she was no longer the exception to Chuck's 'sleep with them once then throw away' rule, but she wouldn't let Chuck know.

Dan just nodded in understanding. He knew how much Blair loved Chuck, her eyes sparkled every time he was mentioned.

"Goodbye, Blair." Dan said, walking towards the door, but it opened as soon as he was about to reach for the handle, revealing a shocked and angry Chuck.

"Chuck! What are you doing back so early? I thought you were staying in all day!" Blair said, standing up and beginning to walk towards him, but Chuck stood still.

"What's he doing here?" Chuck asked Blair, and she opened her mouth to reply, but Dan interrupted.

"I was just dropping off some school stuff for Blair... I'll go..." Dan said, and Chuck eyed him angrily, not sure whether to believe him. He stepped aside and let him go though; he didn't want to listen to his annoying voice anymore than necessary.

"Chuck..." Blair began, but Chuck shook his head.

"Tell me nothing happened, and I'll believe you." Chuck said shortly, and Blair was taken aback.

"You think I'm seeing _Dan Humphrey _behind your back?" Blair laughed, but Chuck didn't look amused. He was a very jealous person, and he didn't want Blair to be alone with anyone, least of all Dan Humphrey, whom he still hated after all this time.

"I don't trust him." Chuck said, and Blair shook her head and walked over to him.

"Nothing happened, Chuck. You should know that. I love you." Blair said, and kissed him. Chuck didn't respond at first, but when he pulled back and saw from Blair's expression that she wasn't lying, he kissed her fiercely and Blair smiled against his mouth.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

It was one day before Valentines Day and Blair Waldorf was freaking out. Serena had come around to the suite for coffee; Blair was still confined to the suite and Serena had a few free hours, and she was going over Blair's plans for Chuck tomorrow.

"I didn't think Chuck was into all that romantic stuff." Serena stated, and Blair shrugged.

"Deep down he loves anything romantic, but he'll never admit it. He just likes the sex that comes after the gift-giving." Blair said, and Serena rolled her eyes and made a gagging sound.

"So you think he'll like the watch?" Blair said, showing Serena the box containing said item. It was a simple silver watch that looked classy – even though it had Chuck's initials on the clock face, but on the underside of the clock face was the message "Blair and Chuck, Chuck and Blair" carved into the silver.

Serena nodded and smiled. "It's perfect, but you already know that. Why did you call me here?"

"I want you to help me look through Chuck's things so I can figure what he's bought me for Valentines Day." Blair said, as thought it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Don't you want it to be a surprise? You love surprises!" Serena exclaimed, but Blair shook her head.

"Surprises aren't generally a good thing when it comes to Chuck." Blair replied, and Serena just nodded in understanding.

"So, where do we begin?"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

An hour later, the girls had turned Chuck and Blair's closet upside down. Clothes were strewn everywhere in the hope of finding gifts hidden between the clothes, but unfortunately neither Blair nor Serena had found anything of consequence.

Until Blair found a strange cardboard box underneath all Chuck's shoes. It was unmarked and taped shut. Blair yelled to Serena to bring her some scissors, and when she returned a few moments later with the desired object, she hovered over Blair's shoulder to see what was in the box.

Inside the box were photos. Photos of Chuck's parents on their wedding day, and lots of photos of his mother as a child and with a pregnant belly. Blair was in awe of how beautiful Chuck's mother was, and Serena was in agreement because she commented on how lovely she looked.

Blair nodded, and set the photographs back inside the box, feeling like an intruder into Chuck's past. That was when she noticed a much smaller box next to the large one. She lifted it up, and her face dropped as she realised what it was.

"Is that...?" Serena began, and Blair opened the box to reveal what was inside. Both the girl's mouths opened with shock and Blair felt herself going dizzy.

"Yeah, it is."

**Up Next: The mystery box's contents revealed! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!**


	17. 3x17: Devil In The Details

**A/N: Short-ish chapter, but it's very necessary as it sets up the next chapter very well. Also, while all of you guessed (sort of) correctly what was in the box, it's not all that it seems, as you find with this chapter. Btw, have you all seen the promos? I'm so excited! Carter! woo :D**

3x17 Devil In The Details

_Blair walked out of the large wooden doors and took her father's arm. He flashed a bright smile which Blair instantly returned, and she placed the veil over her face. Serena and Nate were waiting at the altar already, but the only person Blair was looking at was Chuck. He stood – nervously – at the top of the aisle with a smug grin on his face as all the guests looked in awe at Blair's dress. Taking a deep breath, she and her father began the long walk to Blair's future._

"Blair?!" Serena exclaimed, trying to get the brunette's attention by clicking her fingers in front of her face.

"What?" Blair said, being snapped out of her daydream.

"It's an engagement ring!" Serena shouted, not sure whether to be happy or confused.

"Yes I can see that." Blair said, trying to sound nonchalant, but inside she was fantasising about wedding dresses and the perfect day. It's something she hadn't done in a while; ever since before she first slept with Chuck and she found out she might be getting the Vanderbilt ring, and it made her (almost) happy to think that a wedding could be in her future.

But what about Chuck? He'd never want to get married, surely. Plus, they were only nineteen (Chuck was still only eighteen), so they were too young to get married, but what was the harm in getting engaged?

"Do you think Chuck is going to propose?" Serena asked, admiring the beautiful ring. It was simple, silver and had an almost vintage look to it.

"Why else would he have a ring? He did say he had a huge surprise for tomorrow!" Blair gushed, and stood up from where she and Serena were sat in the closet.

"B, this is Chuck we're talking about. It took him two years to confess his love, and now all of a sudden he's groom material?" Serena reasoned, and Blair's eyes shot up to look at the now standing Serena.

"I thought _you _were supportive of mine and Chuck's relationship!" Blair scowled, but she found herself silently agreeing with Serena's comment. Sure, she would get married to Chuck - she'd been in love with him for nearly two years now – but not until she finished college. But Chuck was still newly committed, and Blair still worried about the womanising side of his personality coming out again.

"I am, B, but Chuck _proposing? _It's just not something Chuck would do, admit it!" Serena said, placing the ring back on the closet floor next to the box of photographs.

"He's changed, Serena. He hasn't cheated on me once. What if he really does want to marry me?" Blair said, a part of her hoping that Chuck did want to spend the rest of his life with her, despite being a bit young to make that decision.

"Do you want to marry him?" Serena asked Blair. For as long as she could remember, Blair had wanted to marry Nate. Of course that all changed when they broke up and Blair fell in love with Chuck, and Serena never thought that Blair would want to get married to _Chuck._

"I don't know! We're too young to get married, of course. But the promise would be nice." Blair smiled, and Serena hugged her before she realised what she was doing.

"You and Chuck are getting married!" Serena exclaimed, but Blair pushed her back.

"He hasn't even proposed yet, S! What if he doesn't even propose?" Blair said, sitting down on the bed. Serena joined her.

"Why else would he have a ring?" Serena pondered, and Blair turned to look at her. Serena had made a valid point, why would Chuck bass own a woman's engagement ring? It had to be for her. _It had to be._

"I have to go now; I'm meeting Nate for coffee." Serena said, standing up. Blair just raised her eyebrows, but didn't say anything. The thought of Nate and Serena together didn't disgust her as it used to, in fact, now she thought they could look good together.

"I'll let you know tomorrow how the proposal goes." Blair said, in a cheery tone.

"Oh, so now he's definitely going to propose?" Serena laughed, opening the door to the suite.

"Like you said, S, why else would he have a ring?"

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

When Chuck returned from work that evening, there was no trace of Blair's gift hunt, and the suite was as tidy as it was when he left (with Dorota's help, of course). Blair rushed over to him and kissed him fiercely the minute he walked through the door, and Chuck laughed against her mouth.

"What did I do to deserve this welcome, Waldorf?" Chuck smirked, and Blair blushed for a moment.

"Nothing..." _yet, _she added mentally.

Blair went to sleep dreaming of her wedding again, and though she didn't want to get married anytime soon, she found herself rather excited for tomorrows (likely) proposal, and just hoped nothing would cause Chuck not to give her the ring.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair had spent the entire day getting ready while Chuck was at work, trying on endless outfits to find the most appropriate one for accepting a proposal. At least she hoped there was going to be a proposal. She knew Chuck well, however, and if something happened to go wrong at work today or someone put him in a bad mood, he wouldn't even think about proposing.

Luckily, when Chuck walked through the door, he was holding a bouquet of pink flowers (the same type as the day he told her he loved her), and he had a smug grin on his face. He walked over to Blair and kissed her temple, then her lips.

"I missed you today..." He murmured against her lips, and Blair smiled.

"Don't be such a sap, Bass." Blair laughed, but secretly she loved that he'd missed her.

"I get a free pass on Valentine's Day, Waldorf." He said, taking his jacket off and handing her the flowers.

"I hope this isn't my actual gift..." Blair said, smelling the flowers and smiling.

"I want my gift first, unless my gift is you, because we can save that for later..." Chuck said, winking at her. Blair rolled her eyes and walked over to the coffee table, where Chuck's gift was sat.

"Open it." Blair said, and Chuck untied the purple (she knew him well) bow, and opened the box.

"Well Waldorf, nice to see you still have taste." Chuck complimented, examining the watch. When he noticed the inscription – _Blair and Chuck, Chuck and Blair – _he smiled, and put the watch and its box back on the coffee table to give Blair a proper kiss. After a few minutes of kissing, however, Blair grew anxious as to whether Chuck was actually going to propose.

"Can I..." Blair said between kissing. "Have my gift now?"

Chuck pulled back and smirked, then reached inside his trouser pocket. He pulled out a box.

A small box.

Blair held her breath, as Chuck opened his mouth to speak.

"Blair, I know this might come as a shock to you because we've..." Chuck began, but Blair interrupted him.

"You need to get down on one knee." She demanded, and Chuck looked at her confused.

"Why?..." He said, and Blair rolled her eyes.

"I know we're not a traditional couple, but the rules are that when you propose, you have to get on one knee, even if you have a prosthetic leg." Blair said, smiling, but Chuck looked just as confused.

"Blair, I.." Chuck began, but was interrupted by Blair again.

"I know you're probably really nervous about it but I..." She began, but this time Chuck interrupted her before she could start a rant.

"Blair! I'm not proposing to you!" Chuck shouted, confused as to why she had that idea.

"But... the ring... and I..." Blair stuttered, also confused.

"What ring? This isn't a ring!" Chuck said in exasperation, opening the box to reveal a key.

"A Key?" Blair said, then stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. Chuck took the key out of the box and held it tight in his grasp.

"There was a ring, in the closet." Blair explained, and the disappointment at there being no proposal was evident in her voice.

Chuck drew in a breath when he realised what Blair was talking about, and he stood up, but didn't walk over to her.

"It was my mother's." Chuck explained, and Blair nodded. It was an explanation for the ring, yes, but it wasn't one she was hoping for. She'd gotten her hopes up about getting engaged to Chuck, and he'd crushed them already.

"What's the key for, then?" Blair said, quickly wiping the stray tears that had escaped and turning around to smile at Chuck. He knew she was upset, of course, he knew her too well, but he didn't comment on it.

"I got us an apartment... on Park." Chuck said, not meeting Blair's eyes. He'd disappointed her, and he'd had no way to avoid it. He had no idea Blair had been expecting a proposal, and he certainly wasn't planning on proposing anytime soon. He liked things the way they were, and didn't want to ruin it by getting engaged to soon.

"Oh." Blair said, happy that at least Chuck had bought a real gift, but she was still disappointed about having no ring and no fiancé.

"You don't want it?" Chuck said, walking over to Blair and placing his hands on her arms. Blair looked up at him and gave a slight smile.

"Of course I do, Bass." She said, but she still didn't sound like herself, and Chuck noticed. He hated himself right now. He'd tried his hardest not to disappoint Blair over the last nine months, and now he'd done it bigtime.

"Do you want to go and see it?" Chuck pressed, but Blair shook her head and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm just going to go to bed." Blair said quietly, then walked out of his grasp towards the bedroom, a couple more tears escaping. She wasn't even sure why she was so upset; she didn't want to get married anytime soon, but she still wanted to be properly committed to Chuck, and he didn't seem to want to make a commitment to her. _What if our relationship is going to go nowhere? _Blair thought to herself, as she sat down on the bed, looking at the closet where the ring was.

When Chuck entered the bedroom some time later, Blair was already asleep. He got in the bed, trying not to wake her, and laid close to her side.

"I'm sorry." He whispered into her hair, then wrapped an arm around her waist before falling asleep too.

**Up Next: It's just the beginning of Chuck & Blair's problems as Chuck is called to London on a business trip...**


	18. 3x18: An End Has A Start

**A/N: *hangs head in shame* Sorry it has been so long, I just really found it hard to write this chapter, because there's not that much C/B interaction. Also, don't hate me. Please. I will update soon!**

3x18 An End Has A Start

The next morning, Chuck awoke to find Blair already out of bed and in the shower. He thought it was quite strange because she didn't have any classes today, and he was usually up earlier than her due to work. He didn't know if Blair was still mad at him, or if she was just upset. Chuck was more angry at himself than anything, he'd disappointed Blair without even realising it, and it made him think that he didn't deserve her, she deserved someone who would propose to her and give her a fairytale ending. Hopefully work today would take his mind off it, and a talk with Eric or Serena could help him think of how to make it up to Blair.

At that moment, Blair walked out of the bathroom with a large towel wrapped around herself. Her eyes widened when she realised Chuck was awake and looking at her.

"I didn't think you were up." She said, but didn't look him in the eye. She didn't really know _why _she was so disappointed, because until she'd found the ring she hadn't wanted to get married at all, but now there was no chance of an engagement it made Blair feel less connected to Chuck, as though somehow he wasn't really hers.

"You're up early." Chuck ignored Blair's statement and acknowledged her attire instead.

"I have a lot of stuff to do today." Blair said in a snappy tone, but both of them knew she was lying. Blair was actually going to spend the day shopping with Serena to keep her mind off what had happened the night before, and discuss whether she really wanted to be in a relationship that was seemingly going nowhere.

"Like what?" Chuck asked, his eyes following Blair's form as it went to the closet.

"Stuff." Blair replied, wanting to let Chuck know that she was still upset. She knew it wasn't entirely his fault, they had never discussed marriage before and they were still young, and he hadn't known she'd wanted him to propose, but _still. _He loved her, he claimed to know everything about her, he should know that deep down she'd always wanted to get married.

Chuck remained silent, and when Blair came back out of the closet she noticed that he was texting someone on his phone.

"What, are you going to have your P.I. follow me?" Blair said maliciously, and Chuck almost laughed despite himself.

"I trust you Blair, you know that." He replied as Blair began walking out of the bedroom.

"Not enough to marry me..." Blair mumbled under her breath as she closed the door behind her, half hoping that Chuck would hear her.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"Chuck!" Eric greeted as his older brother walked through the entrance to the penthouse. "I got your text, what's so bad you had to see me _immediately?"_

"It's Blair." Chuck said as he sat down on the sofa and put his head in his hands. "Do you have any scotch?"

Eric laughed. "It's a little early don't you think?" But Chuck just gave him a death glare so Eric walked over to the bar and poured him a glass.

"So what's up?" Eric asked, sitting next to him on the sofa.

"She found my mother's ring in the closet, she thought I was going to propose." Chuck said, downing his scotch in one go. Eric gulped.

"You didn't propose?" Eric said incredulously. Chuck had told him that he had a surprise for Blair yesterday, and he too assumed he was going to propose to Blair.

"Don't sound so surprised, this is me we're talking about." Chuck said, running his hand through his not-yet-styled hair.

"But you said you had a surprise, I assumed..." Eric began, but Chuck interrupted.

"Why does everyone assume I'm going to marry Blair?" Chuck said almost angrily that everyone thought he was going to propose when he had no idea.

"You two are practically a married couple anyway." Eric noted, and Chuck scoffed, but deep down he knew it was true, and he kinda liked it.

"I just... I had no idea she wanted me to propose." Chuck said, sadness in his tone.

"Do you want to marry her?" Eric asked bluntly, and Chuck was taken aback. Nobody had actually asked him that question before.

"Someday." He admitted, and Eric smiled. He had a feeling Chuck would say that.

"Just not yet." Eric stated, and Chuck nodded in agreement.

"But now she's upset because instead of proposing I bought us an apartment." Chuck said, and Eric's eyes widened in understanding. _So that was his big surprise! _

"That's sweet Chuck. I'm sure Blair will love it!" Eric tried to reassure his brother, but he shook his head.

"She's still too hung up about not getting engaged. She won't even see the apartment!" Chuck said, standing up from his seat and pacing the living area.

"So tell her what you told me, tell her that you do want to marry her someday." Eric tried to reason with Chuck, but he shook his head again.

"I don't think it's enough." Chuck said, his voice cracking a little. He really didn't want to lose Blair, but if she was so set on him proposing then it could force her away.

"Why don't you just propose? You won't have to get married _now." _Eric said, walking over the where Chuck was pacing.

"When I propose, I want it to be because _I want to, _not to make Blair forgive me for not doing what she wanted." Chuck said, and Eric sighed.

"You do have a point." He said, and Chuck went over to the bar to pour himself another scotch.

"So what are you going to do?" Eric asked, but Chuck remained silent. Eric sat back down. After taking another swig of scotch – despite it being barely 9am – Chuck had an idea.

"I'm going to take her to dinner and show her the apartment, then tell her I do want to marry her and that I will propose someday!" he exclaimed, and Eric just stared at him. He was still amazed that Chuck could be so romantic, but everytime he teased him about it Chuck just scowled and denied it. He didn't like to appear soft.

"Let me know how it goes." Eric said as Chuck walked over to the elevator.

"Will do, Little Bro." Chuck replied, and Eric smiled at the affectionate nickname.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"I've never felt so humiliated in my life, S!" Blair exclaimed as she and Serena browsed through dresses at Bergdorf's.

"Oh come on B, really? What about the time when Chuck blogged to Gossip Girl about your sex life? Or when you fell in the pool in front of everyone and your dress went see-through? Or when you wet your..." Serena began listing embarrassing moments in Blair's life, but Blair interrupted before someone else heard.

"S! It was awful! I started rambling on about how he should get down on one knee and then he interrupted me saying he wasn't going to propose and that he had absolutely no intention of it **at all!" **Blair said, her voice raising and tears forming. Serena noticed this and put her hand on her shoulder.

"What about the ring?" Serena asked curiously.

"The ring was his mothers." Blair said, and Serena nodded in understanding. She hadn't thought of this when she and Blair had found the ring, but now it seemed to make more sense. As much as she didn't want to say it to Blair, she _did _have doubts that her brother would actually propose. Personally, she was surprised that Chuck had lasted this long in a relationship.

"So what was the surprise he had planned?" Serena asked, picking up a blue Dior dress and examining it.

"That dress is disgusting." Blair remarked. "And he got us an apartment on Park." Blair said. She was happy with his gift, there was no doubt, but her disappointment was clouding her happiness at sharing a _real _home with Chuck.

"B! That's so great!" Serena exclaimed, putting down the dress and turning to envelope her friend in a hug.

"I guess... I just, I wanted something more." Blair admitted, and Serena rubbed her arm.

"But B, this is quite a big step for Chuck, buying a real place for the both of you to live, not just living in a hotel suite where you have room service all the time." Serena said, trying to talk Blair into liking the gift. Blair smiled. Serena did have a point, and the more she thought about it, the more she appreciated Chuck's gift. He could have just bought her some more jewellery, but he bought them a home, a real home, and she hadn't even properly thanked him for it.

Sure, she still wanted to get married to Chuck someday, but more than anything she just wanted a promise from him that he would always be with her, and perhaps a home for the two of them was his way of promising.

"Did you see the place yet?" Serena asked, and Blair snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head.

"No I was too upset with Chuck last night for not proposing that when he asked if I wanted to see it, I refused." Blair explained, and Serena nodded in understanding.

"Well why don't you see the place Chuck bought? You might feel better about the whole no-proposal situation." Serena suggested, and Blair nodded in agreement.

Just then, Blair's phone buzzed.

_**At the office 4 a few hours, meet me 4 dinner at Butter tonite at 7? – C x**_

Blair smiled. Chuck _was _trying to make it up to her. She should give him a chance, right?

_**See u there xoxo B**_

"I need a dress for tonight." Blair said to Serena, and she smiled in return.

"I have just the thing." She replied, leading Blair to a emerald green Prada dress.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

At 6:30pm, Blair walked out of the suite she and Chuck shared and walked into the elevator. She was a little surprised that Chuck hadn't returned all day, but she just assumed that Chuck would meet her at the restaurant. She walked out of the hotel and managed to get a cab straight away, which put her in a good mood. Not that she wasn't already in a good mood, she'd been thinking about sharing the new apartment with Chuck all day now and it had taken over her thoughts of a wedding.

When she reached Butter, Blair stepped out of the cab and adjusted her long emerald green dress. The dress was a little OTT, but as soon as Serena had showed it to her, Blair fell in love with it, and she knew Chuck would appreciate the fact that her neck was exposed.

She reached the table that had been reserved under Chuck's name, but he hadn't arrived yet. She ordered drinks for the both of them, assuming he was running late. However, two minutes later, he cell phone rang.

"Chuck?" Blair answered upon seeing the caller ID.

"Blair, I'm so sorry, I'm not going to be able to make it tonight." Chuck said, sadness in his voice.

"What? Why?" Blair said, trying not to sound disappointed but it was evident in her voice.

"I have to fly out to London in an hour, some crisis with the funds there." Chuck replied, and Blair drew in a breath.

"But we need to talk, Chuck." Blair said, a little angry at being stood up.

"I know, but I'll be back in a few days, I'll make it up to you, I promise." Chuck said, his voice pained. He really didn't want to leave, but it was crucial.

Blair rolled her eyes. "I've heard that one before, Chuck." She said coldly, and hung up on him. Their talk had been delayed, and now there was no proposal, no dinner and no viewing of the apartment.

**Up Next: Chuck's trip to London isn't all it appears to be, and his attempt to 'make it up to her' surprise Blair.**


	19. 3x19: My Own Worst Enemy

**A/N: Just a short update because I haven't really had time to write in the past few days. However, this chapter is very crucial. Just don't hate me, please. Next chapter will be up ASAP, I promise! Thank you for all your reviews, they mean so much :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl because I SUCK.**

3x19 My Own Worst Enemy

Chuck was angry. When he'd got to work that day he'd left his assistant in charge of making dinner plans and organising for flowers to be sent for Blair, and now he couldn't even enjoy any of it with her. It really was the worst possible time he could've gone to London. It wasn't his fault though; some buyers from the UK had pulled out at the last minute and Chuck needed to go over there and do damage control. Blair was livid, of course. She wouldn't even let Chuck explain properly; she'd hung up on him pretty much as soon as their conversation started.

The minute he landed at Heathrow Airport, he took out his cell to call Blair. She didn't answer, of course, and Chuck knew it wasn't the reception; Blair was angry at him. She was already upset that he didn't propose to her, and now Chuck wouldn't even get a chance to explain himself. Getting into the limo outside the airport, Chuck drew in a breath and reached into the minibar. Scotch, just what he needed.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Blair had taken a cab all the way up to Serena's place at the other end of Manhattan. She thought that she'd want to be on her own to let her anger settle, but the minute she stepped out of the restaurant and into the evening air, she realised that what she really needed was a shoulder to cry on, someone to make her believe that her relationship with Chuck was still worth it, because he himself wasn't doing much to convince her of that.

When Serena answered the door, she only had to take one look at her best friend's torn expression before she took her into her arms and lead her inside. Blair was a little surprised to see Nate sitting on the sofa with a slice of pizza in his hand, but she was too upset to feel bad about interrupting their 'date', or whatever it was. She sat down on the sofa next to Nate and Serena sat down on the other side of her. Before she realised what was happening, she had her head in her hands and Serena was patting her back comfortingly while Nate sat looking confused.

"What happened, B?" Serena asked soothingly.

"He didn't even show up!" Blair bit out, and Serena looked over at Nate worryingly.

"He was probably just tied up with work, Blair." Nate commented, and Blair sat up angrily.

"He's going to London!" She practically screamed, and Nate went into the kitchenette to get Blair a drink. Alcoholic, of course.

"What do you mean, 'going to London'?" Serena questioned. It was the wrong thing to say, of course.

"What I mean, S, is that instead of staying here and coping with our problems, he's bailed! Run off to London!" Blair shouted, snatching the martini out of Nate's hands when he returned and downed it in one.

"B, I'm sure he didn't want to leave..." Serena began, but Blair shook her head.

"He did! He's freaked out because I wanted him to propose!" Blair tried reasoning, but both Nate and Serena shook their head.

"Blair, if Chuck ever got married you're the only person I could see him with." Nate pitched in, and Serena smiled fondly at Nate's comment. She was glad that things weren't weird between them all anymore.

Blair scoffed. "I'm so stupid. How could I have ever thought he'd propose! He's Chuck Bass!"

Serena rubbed Blair's back soothingly. "You are a little young to get married, B." Serena tried to comfort Blair.

"I know..." Blair began, then trailed off. "I just wanted a promise, to show that he's always going to be here and won't cheat on me."

"He hasn't cheated on you so far, has he?" Nate asked, kneeling in front of Blair. She shook her head.

"No, not that I know of." Blair replied, and Nate nodded.

"That's what I thought. So really, he doesn't need to make the promise because he's already fulfilling what it entails." Nate said, and Blair looked up.

"Archibald, when did you get so wise?" Blair asked, and both Nate and Serena laughed. Serena hugged her friend once more.

"Do you want to stay here tonight, B? It's late." Serena said, pointing to the clock on the wall. Blair nodded. She really didn't feel like going back to the suite she and Chuck shared, sleeping there alone would be weird and Blair really didn't want to take a cab all the way there at this time.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

When Chuck woke up from a light sleep at the hotel, he realised it was now 5am. Shit. The plane ride over here hadn't taken too long, but he must've been more tired than he thought. It didn't help that his dreams were all about Blair either. He felt guilty enough as it was.

He looked over at his phone. Missed Calls. 4 from Nate, one from Serena, none at all from the only person who actually mattered.

Shit.

He walked over to the minibar in his suite at The Dorchester. Scotch. Was it too early? Ha. It was never too early. If anything, this tumbler of scotch was far too late.

Chuck contemplated calling Blair again, it was after midnight there now but it was worth a try. If she'd been drinking, she was more likely to listen to him, even if she was more likely to forget it in the morning. He picked up his cell and dialled the number.

"Hello? Blair's phone." A man's voice said, and it sounded as though he had just woken up. Despite the scratchiness of the voice, Chuck would recognise it anywhere.

It was Nate's.

Chuck instantly shut his cell and threw it against the wall. What the fuck? Why was Nate answering Blair's phone?

She'd run into his arms again!

Chuck poured himself another scotch and downed it straight away. He threw the glass against the wall, and watched the pieces scatter all over the floor. He didn't care if it was a cliché, his heart felt like it was in pieces right now.

**Up next: Chuck returns from London to have a serious 'talk' with someone... Who will face the wrath of Chuck Bass?**


	20. 3x20: The Nature Of Reality

**A/N: See, I told you I would update ASAP. Anyway, sorry that not a lot happens in this chapter, but I wanted to explore where CB's heads are at before we get the big discussion in the next chapter. I will probably update at the weekend. :-)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl but I own a number of headbands.**

3x20 The Nature Of Reality

Blair woke up to find Serena and Nate staring at her, worry in their eyes. She slowly sat up from where she lay on Serena's sofa (usually she wouldn't sleep on a sofa but she'd had no choice really), and eyed them sceptically.

"Do I have drool on my face?" She asked, bringing her hand up to her chin. Serena shook her head.

"Do you want to tell her or shall I?" Serena said, turning to Nate who was eating a pastry.

"Ok ok." Nate said, his mouth full. He put down his plate and turned to Blair.

"Chuck called you again last night." Nate said hesitantly.

"No he didn't." Blair said, she'd received no calls before she went to bed, she'd checked twice.

"It was after you went to sleep. After we all went to sleep." Serena pitched in, and Blair looked confused.

"I answered it." Nate explained.

"What did he say?" Blair asked, hoping that Chuck had maybe confided in his best friend over what he was going to do to make it up to her.

"He, didn't... when he heard my voice, he hung up." Nate said, but Blair just looked dumbfounded. Surely Chuck would want to speak to Nate?

"We think, we think that he thought you were with Nate." Serena said, trying to explain.

"I was with Nate." Blair replied. What was Serena talking about? She'd spent the night in the apartment with Serena and Nate!

"No, we think that he thinks you've slept with him." Serena said, and Blair's eyes widened and her mouth opened into a perfect "o".

"That's crazy!" Blair said, and Nate agreed, but Serena shook her head.

"It's understandable though. It's happened before." Serena began, but Blair interrupted.

"No it hasn't, S." Blair scoffed. Sure, she'd truly loved Nate at a time, but she was with Chuck now, and her love for him consumed her.

"B, last year when you went rebellious after you lost Yale, Chuck... he went over to your house to tell you he loved you." Serena started to explain, and Blair's head shot up in shock.

"He never told..." She began, but Serena interrupted so she could finish explaining.

"When he got there, Dorota wouldn't let him see you, and he found Nate's jacket in the entrance hall." She continued.

"We didn't sleep together that night." Nate said, and Blair nodded.

"Nate stayed until I fell asleep and then he went home." Blair explained, and Serena sighed.

"That makes sense, but Chuck assumed that you two slept together. That you'd gone to Nate arms instead of his, and he probably thinks the same has happened again." Serena said, as Blair got up and began pacing.

"He's the one who bailed and went to London!" Blair shouted, waving her arms in exasperation. This time it was Nate who sighed.

"He'll be back soon, Blair." He tried to calm her, but Blair was working herself into a state.

"Why do we just attract problems? Why can't things ever be easy for us?" Blair ranted.

"Because you're Chuck and Blair." Serena said, as if this was the explanation for everything. It truth, it sort of was. Chuck and Blair were always destined to be together, but nobody ever said it would be an easy ride.

"Why can't we be a normal couple?" Blair said, slumping down onto the sofa again. Serena sat beside her and put her hand on Blair's shoulder.

"You and Chuck can never be normal, B. You're so passionate and in love. Most couples don't have that." Serena tried to make Blair feel better, and Nate agreed.

"You two know eachother so well." He added, and Blair smiled. It was sweet of Nate to support Chuck and Blair, seeing as it was his best friend and ex-girlfriend.

"I just want to talk to him, and explain. We have to sort this out, we have to." Blair ranted. She didn't want to lose Chuck, and her talk with Serena and Nate last night made her see sense. Why should Chuck have to promise not to cheat on her if he was already fulfilling the promise?

Exactly, he didn't have to. Blair realised that now, and all she wanted was for things to go back to the way they were.

"He's coming back from London in 2 days." Serena said, and Blair looked up.

"How do you know this?" Blair asked.

"I'm his sister." Serena said, and Blair smiled. It was actually nice to hear Serena talking about Chuck in a nice way, as when they'd first become step-siblings Serena had hated it. She was glad that they got on well now.

"You'll sort this out Blair, you two are meant to be." Serena added, and Blair nodded. Deep down in her heart, she knew that. She just hoped that Chuck would too.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

Chuck arrived at the departures at Heathrow in good time. He was taking the Bass jet home, which meant he could leave pretty much whenever he wanted, but he was eager to get back to New York as soon as possible. So, as soon as his last meeting had finished, he literally took his limo straight to the airport.

He didn't know what he was going to do when he returned. He should talk to Blair, apologise for leaving in the midst of their problems. However, hearing Nate answer her phone made him angry. She'd run back into Nate's arms yet again, and the feeling hurt him more than he thought it would. He should give her a chance to explain; he would be able to tell instantly if she was lying, but he didn't know if he had it in him to talk to her just yet.

It was something new for him, being scared of getting hurt. It wasn't as if he hadn't been hurt by Blair before though. But still, maybe things were even now. He hadn't proposed to her (and he still had no intention of doing so), and he'd gone to London. Perhaps that made it ok for Blair to seek comfort in Nate's arms?

What was he thinking? Of course it didn't.

He was going to kill Nate.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

When he arrived in New York it was raining. He thought it was kind of clichéd that it would pour it down when his mood was sour, but it didn't bother him. Chuck actually liked the rain, it made it harder to see the world's imperfections.

He wanted to see Blair, no, needed to see Blair, but he had no idea where she would be. He considered trying the suite first but he didn't want to be faced with emptiness; he thought she might have been so angry she moved her stuff out.

So he decided to go to the apartment he had bought for himself and Blair. Maybe if he went there and saw the home that was meant for the two of them, it would make him feel better about the whole situation, and give him inspiration for what to say to Blair.

When he walked out of the elevator, he was confused. Why were lights on in the apartment? He was the only one who had a key, apart from the key that was on the vanity in the suite. Unless...

"Hi." Blair said, walking towards him shyly. Chuck couldn't help but smile. He didn't walk over to her though, he was still pissed over Nate.

"Hi." He replied, admiring Blair's appearance. She looked good. _Very good, _and Chuck almost wished he wasn't so proud because he wanted to kiss her right then and there.

"I think I should explain some things." Blair started, and Chuck agreed.

"Me too." He replied, and followed Blair as she sat down on the sofa in the living area of their apartment.

**Up Next: Can Chuck and Blair sort out their issues?**


	21. 3x21: Anything Can Happen In The Next

**A/N: I know it's short but the update was quick, right? It's because I want to get it all finished by next tuesday when I return to school. So enjoy! I have a feeling you will.**

3x21 Anything Can Happen In The Next Half Hour

"I'm Sorry." Blair began, looking at Chuck who was avoiding her gaze. Usually she wouldn't be the first to apologise, but this fight with Chuck had gone on long enough and she just really wanted things to go back to normal between them.

"What for? I'm the one who didn't measure up to your idea of a perfect prince charming." Chuck interrupted, his anger building although he didn't want it to.

"What are you..." Blair began, once again trying to look Chuck in the eye but he wasn't complying, instead he interrupted.

"Is that why you went back to Nate again? At the first hint of trouble you go running back to him?" Chuck ranted, burying his head in his hands as his eyes almost filled with tears at the memory of the pain he felt when he heard Nate's voice on the phone.

"I didn't run back to Nate!" Blair protested, and she silently begged Chuck to look at her so he could realise she wasn't lying.

"He answered your goddamn phone, Blair!" Chuck argued, but then turned to look at Blair.

"I stayed at Serena's after you left for London, he was there too." She said, her eyes matching her mouth as she told the truth. "Nothing happened."

Chuck couldn't deny that his girlfriend was telling the truth now, but maybe that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he thought he trusted her – in fact when he had caught Humphrey in his suite a few weeks ago he had insisted that he trusted her – but now he wasn't so sure. He had been so quick to believe that Blair had gone back to Nate. Chuck had always believed that Blair would be the one not to trust him, what with his womanising past, but he realised that it was a two-way problem, he didn't trust her.

Chuck didn't reply, and Blair was on the verge of tears.

"Say something, Chuck." Blair pleaded, putting her hand on his arm. She was relieved when he didn't pull away, instead he reached to touch her hand with his.

"I can't trust you, Blair." He said, a sad look in his eyes. Blair snapped at this, taking her hand away and standing up.

"You can't trust me? I can't trust you! Do you know how painful it is to see you even look at another girl, knowing you've probably already had sex with her! Knowing that you could just leave at any time, like you have done so many times before!"

"My Father had just died! I didn't want to bring you down with me!" Chuck argued back, now standing too.

"What about Tuscany? You never even called! Everything was so good between us and you just left me!" Blair said, tears pouring.

"That was almost two years ago! At least I didn't come home with a new guy, a guy that was WEARING YOUR PIN!" Chuck shouted, his eyes burning.

"He meant nothing at first! You know that! But then you had to go and ruin my plan by not saying those three words!" Blair screamed, waving her hands in exasperation.

"I said them eventually, didn't I?" Chuck said, crossing his arms. Blair just shook her head.

"I'd already said them to you. Twice. And you ran away. It's all you ever do! Like now, you ran to London because you didn't want to propose to me!" Blair looked at Chuck whose eyes were dark.

"I went to London on business. In case you didn't notice I'm the fucking CEO! And of course I didn't want to propose! We're 19 years old! And I'm not going to propose just to make you think you've won a fight!" Chuck ranted. Blair was taken aback.

"You didn't run away?" Blair said softly, and Chuck found his anger seeping away slightly.

"No. I wanted to tell you what I told Eric." He said in a softer tone, Blair looked up at him confused.

"What did you tell Eric?" Blair asked, grabbing Chuck's hand and holding it. He pulled it away.

"That I will marry you someday." Chuck said, but he wouldn't look at Blair. Blair tried holding his hand again, but he wouldn't comply.

"Chuck..." Blair began, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry Blair but I need some time to think." He began, and Blair was shocked at first because originally it was her who was meant to forgive him, but now it was Chuck who needed to realise that he really did trust her. Blair nodded her head and began walking towards the door.

"I love you, Chuck." Blair said as she walked into the elevator, but Chuck didn't reply. What was he doing? He wasn't even mad at her anymore. Was he really just going to let her walk out of his life? She hadn't been lying when she said nothing happened between her and Nate, Chuck knew that for sure, so why had he spun all that crap about needing time?

He didn't need time, he needed her.

XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO XOXO

"It was horrible, S!" Blair cried as she downed her Martini. Serena looked at her friend with concern before taking the glass off her.

"B I think you've had enough." Serena said, but Blair scoffed.

"I haven't had nearly enough. Chuck doesn't want me anymore, I'm just trying to _drown my sorrows_." Blair said, but she didn't sound serious and she was slurring her words. Serena shook her head. She had imagined that things would automatically go back to normal when Chuck returned and that the two of them would be able to work through their problems, but instead Blair had showed up at her house crying and saying that Chuck "needed time".

Bastard.

"Blair maybe you should call him." Serena suggested, but Blair shook her head violently, then grabbed it as she realised how much it hurt.

"He doesn't want to see me." Blair slurred, but then there was a knock at the door. Blair shrugged her shoulders and Serena went to answer it. When she realised who it was, she turned to Blair.

"I think he does want to see you, B." Serena almost laughed, and Chuck looked confused but walked into Serena's flat anyway. He took one look at Blair half-laid on the sofa with an empty martini glass and sighed. She looked lost, and... beautiful. He had missed her. So he walked over to where she was sat and kneeled in front of her. Blair just looked at him curiously.

"I love you too." Were the only words to come out of his mouth, and Blair smiled in her drunken state. She reached forward to grab onto him, but missed. Chuck caught her hand and helped her stand up, putting his arm around her waist to support her.

"Excuse me sis, I better take my woman home." Chuck joked, his anger and bad mood from earlier today seemingly vanished. Serena smiled and held the door open for them. She distinctly heard Blair mumble "Don't call me your woman, Basshole." And Serena giggled at the two of them. Hopefully things would be back to normal now.

Serena didn't think she could handle a drunken Blair any longer.

**Up Next: Just three chapters remain! Blair and Chuck find themselves happy... for once, and return to their plotting games.**


	22. 3x22: Will It Be This Way Forever?

**AN: Ok, Can I just say how bad I feel for not updating this months ago? I've actually had it written since October... Anyway, this is actually going to serve as the final chapter, because I have many exams coming up and I just don't think my hearts in it anymore. So, thank you all so much for reading this story and reviewing it, I hoped you've loved reading it as much as I've loved writing it. Right, on with the story then. I must say, it's not my best work by a long shot and it may seem a little bit rushed towards the end, but hopefully it's satisfying enough.**

3x22 Will It Be This Way Forever?

"God you're amazing" Chuck growled huskily as Blair lazed in her lingerie on the leather sofa, ready to greet Chuck from work. She sometimes did this anyway, but today was a special occasion; it was his birthday. And what a birthday it was going to be for him.

"You can look Bass, but you can't touch." Blair paused as she took in Chuck's frown. "Yet" she added, and Chuck smirked.

"Oh so you have something planned first?" Chuck asked suspiciously and Blair grinned at him as she rose from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. Chuck didn't follow her, instead he put his briefcase home and took off his suit jacket and tie, and undid the first two buttons of his shirt. Just as he was sitting down, Blair returned with a bowl of Strawberries and cream, and 2 glasses of champagne in her other hand. She put the champagne on the coffee table and immediately took a seat on Chuck's lap.

"A man could get used to this" Chuck drawled as he ran his hands up Blair's legs and Blair rolled her eyes, then turned in his arms so they were face to face. She placed a strawberry next to his mouth and watched as he bit it.

"Happy Birthday, Chuck" she whispered before capturing his lips in a heated kiss.

Blair rolled over in bed to find Chuck still sleeping soundly, his breathing even and an (almost) smile on his face. Her heart swelled; it had been 3 weeks since their 'almost' break-up and things were better than ever between them. Deciding not to wake Chuck up, she got out of bed and checked her phone.

1 new message from Serena

_**B, I really need your help with Natie. Come to mine for breakfast?**_

Blair laughed to herself, waking Chuck up in the process. She couldn't believe Serena could be so blind and that Nate could be so helpless. It was clear to Blair the other night that even after all this time they still had feelings for eachother, why couldn't they just get together?

"What's so amusing, beautiful?" Chuck asked sleepily has he rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. Blair turned around to him, shaking her head and handed over her phone with the message onscreen. Chuck also laughed when he saw the text.

"Is she really that scared to just talk to him?" Chuck asked, and Blair shrugged.

"I think Nate was always different to all the other guys"

Chuck scowled. He didn't really like all this nice-talk about Nate; Blair used to date him for crying out loud!

Blair just leaned over and kissed him though, easing all his worries.

"Up for a bit of scheming, Bass?" Blair asked seductively, straddling him and wrapping her arms around him. Chuck gazed up at her lovingly and kissed her softly, then more passionately.

"Mmm" he began, then pulled away from the kiss "Later. We have more pressing matters at hand" he said, then continued to kiss her.

_Two hours later_

"Blair! Did you not get my message? Why didn't you come for breakfast?" Serena ranted down the phone – she'd been trying to reach Blair for the past hour and a half but her phone went to answerphone each time.

"I'm sorry S, but how about an early dinner tonight? At Geisha? I know how you love Japanese food..." Blair enticed Serena, winking to Chuck who was currently in the process of texting Nate and asking him out to a catch up dinner tonight.

"Oh... yes B, that sounds so good." Serena said quite enthusiastically, in reality she just couldn't wait to talk to her scheming best friend about her would-be relationship with Nate. Blair always had elaborate plans to get what she wanted, so perhaps she could help Serena secure Nate.

"Great S! I'll see you there at 5." Blair chirped, hanging up the phone on Serena and turning to Chuck again.

"Tell him to go there at 5, ok?" Blair said, her eyes hard as she remained in plotting mode.

"Got it, Waldorf" Chuck replied easily as he put his phone to one side and stood up from the sofa to kiss Blair.

Blair kissed back instantly, and felt herself got lost in the moment until a sudden wave of nausea overcame her. She pulled back from Chuck's lips harshly and covered her mouth, then sprinted for the bathroom, leaving Chuck standing there confused.

After hearing her retching, he followed her into the bathroom and rubbed her back as she slumped over the toilet.

"Blair?" he asked tentatively. His brain flashed back to a few months ago, images of Blair in the hospital after her relapse of bullimia, but he knew that this time Blair hadn't made herself sick. She was fine, they'd been kissing, that was all, and suddenly she'd felt the need to throw up.

That thought didn't settle him either.

"I... I'm fine" Blair said, standing up carefully and flushing the toilet, then going over to the sink and splashing cold water on her face.

"You're sure?" Chuck said, still a little uneasy as he stood towards the door watching his girlfriend with worry in his eyes. He couldn't go through all that drama again, seeing Blair ill and helpless like she was before.

Blair smiled and nodded. "I'm fine." She repeated. "Now come on, we need to get things ready to spy on blonde and blonder tonight." She said breezily as she brushed past Chuck and walked into their bedroom.

Chuck shook his head, but followed her anyway. He had to keep an eye on her at all times now, he told himself. He wasn't going to let things get as bad as they did before.

Serena found herself being 20 minutes early to meet Blair at Geisha, having gotten ready in record time. She'd taken a town car from her apartment and she'd had a lot of time to think. She needed a second opinion of course- that was the point of seeing Blair. But she'd made her mind up on her feelings; she wanted to be with Nate.

"Carter?" She exclaimed, spotting the boy she'd been around the world with outside the entrance to Geisha. He looked tanned, as if he'd been in the sun, and Serena had to admit, he looked good.

"Serena van der Woodsen" He greeted in his usual tone, stepping forward to kiss her on the cheek. She blushed, which was strange for Serena, but Carter's demeanour had that effect on people. It had been a few months since she'd seen Carter, and they hadn't left things on the best of terms, in fact she specifically remembered shouting at Carter- which Serena rarely did – and calling him a "Selfish bastard" for lying to her about her father. But now, she just felt happy to see him. It was nice.

"What are you doing in town?" She asked him, and Carter smiled.

"I'm back for good, actually. Managed to find myself a job in the city." Carter smirked, and Serena found her heart beating faster at the thought. It excited her, for some reason, to be around him. He was bad for her, there was no doubt about it, but he thrilled her. Everything about him was making her stomach flutter in excitement.

Carter noticed Serena had gone into her own little world and broke her train of thought "Hey, do you want to grab dinner? I was going to meet a friend but they can wait, this is more important."

Serena was taken aback, but a smile formed on her lips. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to ring Blair to tell her not to come, but she'd already received a message from her saying she was ill and wouldn't be coming. It was settled then.

"Sure" Serena replied, and took Carter's arm as he led her into the restaurant. What they didn't see, was Nate exiting a cab just a few yards away, looking heartbroken as he saw the love of his life walk away with Carter Baizen.

The next morning, Blair found herself in the same position she was in last summer. Her best friend had left again, leaving only a frantic voicemail message.

_**Hey B it's me, I know this might **_

_**come as a shock and it's a long story**_

_**but i'm going away with Carter for**_

_**a while. This time I promise to call though.**_

_**Love you!**_

It was one of the rare times a Bass/Waldorf plan hadn't worked. Serena had somehow found Carter Baizen? Blair was shocked, yet strangely amused by the situation. It was Serena all over. One minute she thought she loved Nate, and the next she's going away for the summer with Carter. Blair felt bad for Nate though, but if Serena was happy, then so was Blair. She just hoped Serena remembered to call this time.

Chuck had left for work that morning saying he might not return until late as he was going over to Nate's for a while. Blair understood, he must've been in a bit of a state. So, Blair was at home on her own all day.

She'd decided to catch up on the last of her assignments before the summer, but before she could even begin, she'd had the same nauseous feeling as she'd had yesterday when she was kissing Chuck, and again she had to run to the bathroom to throw up. There was definitely something not right. It took a lot for Blair to go and see a doctor, but if she didn't go now on her own, she knew that Chuck would make her go tomorrow and he'd want to come with her, and she really didn't want that.

So, she grabbed a jacket and went outside and hailed a cab.

"Miss Waldorf, so lovely to see you" Blair's doctor said with a fake smile as Blair sat down in a chair across from her. In truth, Blair's doctor hated her, she was very stubborn and didn't like admitting she was ill.

"So, what's wrong with me?" Blair said impatiently, almost tapping her foot. She wanted to get home before Chuck did so he didn't know she'd been to the Doctor.

"Well Miss Waldorf, I don't really know how to say this..." her doctor said while looking at Blair's blood test results.

"Say what?" Blair said again with impatience.

"Well, You're pregnant."

**AN: Cliffhangers! Oh yes. I lovelovelovelove them. I'm not promising anything, but I may follow this up with a one-shot sometime following Serena/Carter's summer or maybe Blair/Chuck's, depending on how the next few episodes of GG go... Thanks again for reading this, over and out.**


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